News
Zuckerberg among Facebook users mistakenly declared ‘dead’
Facebook accidentally declared its founder Mark Zuckerberg and many other users dead on Friday, acknowledging after fixing the problem that it had committed a “terrible error.”
“For a brief period today, a message meant for memorialized profiles was mistakenly posted to other accounts,” a Facebook spokesperson told AFP.
“This was a terrible error that we have now fixed.”
Media reports indicated that some two million errant memorials were posted on profile pages.
Even Facebook co-founder and chief executive Zuckerberg was memorialized in a message at his profile page expressing hope that people who loved him would take comfort in posts people shared in tribute to his life.
“Poor Mark,” read an @JudiD23 tweet that included weeping face emojis.
“Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.”
The social network apologized and said it worked as quickly as possible to correct the problem.
“Damn. I should have used Facebook Live to show how I was Facebook Dead,” Search Engine Land editor Danny Sullivan said in a message fired off at Twitter.
Facebook Live feature lets people broadcast video in real-time at the leading social network.
The mistaken memorial notices contained links to forms that can be submitted to have people’s accounts at the leading social network modified into online memorials after they die.
Part of the process is showing proof of death.
Some wondered whether the mishap was a botched test promotion of the feature, rather than a software glitch.
– #FacebookDead –
Comments tagged #FacebookDead or #FacebookRapture went viral at Twitter, with people joking that the scenario marked a fitting end to tumultuous week.
“I think this is Facebook’s way of flagging the people who died inside on Tuesday,” read a tweet from @billkalpak.
A darkly humorous post on Twitter by @JnPhillip was in the form of a note reading “Dear Facebook, Donald Trump does not get inaugurated until January 20th. Nuclear annihilation occurs Jan. 21st.”
“Naturally, Facebook waited until 2016 to kill us all,” tweeted @kriheli.
Some quipped that the mistake shook confidence in Facebook’s feature for checking on people after disasters, or its claim that hoax stories are not a worry at the social network.
A not-dead-yet Zuckerberg defended the integrity of News Feed stories duing an on-stage chat at a Techonomy conference in California the night before being memorialized on his profile page.
Zuckerberg rejected the idea that bogus stories shared at the social network paved a path of victory for President-elect Trump.
“The idea that fake news on Facebook, which is a very small amount of the content, influenced the election in any way I think is a pretty crazy idea,” Zuckerberg said during an on-stage chat at the conference.
The News Feed at Facebook has evolved from early days of being about sharing personal tidbits with friends or family to becoming a platform for important news.
News
NASS amends NDLEA Act, okays life imprisonment for drug traffickers
The Senate has concurred with the recommendation of the House of Representatives to commute the death sentence penalty for persons found guilty of storing, moving or concealing hard drugs and other illicit substances to life imprisonment.
The alignment of the Senate with the House of Representatives yesterday was a sequel to the amendment effected on the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act.
The amendment was considered at the plenary, presided over by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, APC! Kano North, after majority of senators supported the harmonisation of the conference committee of the two chambers of the National Assembly on Section 11 of the NDLEA Act.
Recall that recently, the House of Representatives passed an amendment to the NDLEA law to prescribe life imprisonment for drug traffickers but the Senate version of the amendment prescribed death penalty for the offenders.
In order to address the differences, both the Senate and the House of Representatives needed to hold a conference committee on the amendment where they will conclude on a final amendment to the section.
The then Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Tahir Monguno, had told his colleagues that the Senate would adopt the amendment of the House prescribing life imprisonment for drug traffickers.
Monguno, who is the chairman of the conference committee, explained that if the National Assembly adopted the death sentence, it meant over 900 accused persons behind bar on drug related cases would be executed.
He, therefore, urged his colleagues to support the resolution in order to reduce the effect of drug consumption and trading in the country.
After the presentation, the Deputy Senate President put the resolution to a vote and majority of the senators supported it.
Senator Barau, thereafter, approved the amendments to include life imprisonment for drug traffickers.
With the amendment, the section now reads: “Anybody who is unlawfully involved in the storage, custody, movement, carriage or concealment of dangerous drugs or controlled substances and who, while so involved is armed with any offensive weapon or is disguised in anyway, shall be guilty of an offence under this Act, and liable on conviction to be sentenced to life imprisonment.”
News
‘He was never our member’ — IPOB disowns Simon Ekpa
The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) says Simon Ekpa, the controversial Biafra agitator, was never a member of the group.
IPOB said Ekpa was not a registered member of the group’s chapter in Finland and cannot be the leader of the group.
On Thursday, Ekpa, a Finland-based secessionist, was arrested by law enforcement agents in the northern European nation.
He was subsequently sent to prison by the district court of Päijät-Häme for “spreading terrorist propaganda on social media”.
Ekpa was said to have committed the crime in 2021 in Lahti municipality.
The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) also arrested four other men over alleged terrorist offences.
In a statement on Friday, Emma Powerful, IPOB’s spokesperson, said Ekpa was a “destructive agent” paid to “infiltrate and destroy” the “peaceful movement” of IPOB.
Powerful accused the Nigerian and Finnish governments of shielding Ekpa from arrest.
“Simon Ekpa was never and is not an IPOB member, let alone being a leader in IPOB. IPOB has some family units in Finland, and Simon Ekpa is not a registered member of any IPOB unit in Finland or any other IPOB unit globally,” the statement reads.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu established IPOB as a peaceful movement to seek Biafra Independence via a supervised UN referendum.
“IPOB is a peaceful global movement that has never taken to violence or arms struggle in two decades of our self-determination struggle.
“It was unfortunate that some innocent Biafrans, being passionate for the restoration of the stolen sovereignty of the Biafran Nation, thought that Simon Ekpa was genuinely sympathetic to the Biafra cause.
“Sadly, they had to learn the hard way that he was a destructive agent paid to infiltrate and destroy the IPOB peaceful movement for Biafra self-determination. He recruited violent criminals to destabilize the South East Region in 2021.
“The Simon Ekpa-led group has no alliance, affiliation or relationship with IPOB family worldwide. He recruited his criminal gangs who have been terrorising the Biafran territory since 2021.
“The Nigerian government and politicians that contracted Simon Ekpa have been making strenuous efforts to tag the violent crimes of their agent on IPOB just to blackmail and demonise the genuine and peaceful Biafra self-determination struggle of the Biafran people led by the IPOB.
“On the purported arrest of Simon Ekpa, all IPOB members, Biafrans and lovers of Biafra freedom should remain calm and focused on our core objective which is the restoration of the sovereign state of Biafra.”
News
Lagos state government seals Ile Iyan restaurant over waste disposal violations
The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has sealed off Ile Iyan, a restaurant in the Sabo Yaba area of the state, for “non-compliance with waste disposal regulations”.
Lagos Waste Reporters, a publication focused on waste management, reported that officials discovered invoices and food waste from Ile Iyan at an illegal dumpsite.
The dumpsite is located near Aje Comprehensive High School, Yaba.
“Despite the establishment’s claims of registration with LAWMA, no corroborative evidence was provided,” the report reads.
LAWMA has now mandated Ile Iyan to formally register and comply with established waste management regulations.
“It is essential to maintain cleanliness in Lagos. Businesses must register with LAWMA and adhere to proper waste management procedures to prevent closure,” the report added.
Tokunbo Wahab, commissioner for the environment and water resources in Lagos, has ramped up enforcement of environmental regulations in the city, with markets, clubs and eateries often sealed over purported violations.
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