Question

Joe Biden is allowing T-Mobile to read your private text messages and fine you up to $3,500 for hate speech.

Comments

Deleted. Please Delete

Answer 1

This claim Is just a false. Just searching the title you'll see on the Associated press article that proves the claim is wrong and the reasons. "A new T-Mobile policy aimed at curbing mass marketing texts that don’t meet industry standards is being misrepresented on social media as an effort to censor the messages of everyday people." from the associated press

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-t-mobile-text-messages-censor-fine-678022041564#:~:text=And%20if%20your%20messages%20fall,their%20bandwidth%2C%E2%80%9D%20she%20continues.

Comments

Nice work finding a fact-check on this!

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Nice work fact checking this. In addition, the person that posted this tiktok mostly posts anti Joe Biden information. He uses news stories from websites that aren't credible to slander President Biden.

Answer 2

This claim is not accurate. First of all, T-Mobile does not collect users' text messages. According to their terms and conditions, the only personal information they collect is as follows: contact and account information, authentication and security information, demographic information, payment information, preference information, and any other data that users choose to provide. In addition, the user who posted the TikTok, Clay Edwards, nowhere in the video, description, and comments, did he mention where he gathered his information from. Edwards posts "breaking news" on his Facebook page without providing links to any supplemental sources to verify the claims. On top of that, Edwards has a podcast called "The Clay Edwards Show", where he discusses mostly political topics. The issue here is that in the descriptions of his podcast, he writes a few sentences of the podcast summary, but again, does not include links to supplemental sources. The evidence that Edwards provides, or lack thereof, lowers his credibility and does not make him a reliable "news reporter".

Sources:

https://www.tiktok.com/@savejxn/video/7316643376214871338?q=T-mobile%203%2C500&t=1704291298879

https://www.facebook.com/SaveJXN/

https://clayedwardsshow.com/?fbclid=IwAR13It4MC88z-B3P42H8omD6255F0n87dkddyDyIgH8GpxZ43cX8llk84FU

https://www.t-mobile.com/privacy-center/privacy-notices/t-mobile-privacy-notice

Comments

Good fact check, seem to be a lot of relevant information. I find it really funny that there are a multitude of data that the company is collecting however the post only focused on the one that was false. It also seems like there is a lot of Bias from the user and potential for finical gain if he has a podcast that could benefit from the spreading of this information.

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Good job on this fact check! I think it was important you started with T-Mobile's terms and conditions; if we know T-Mobile doesn't collect users' texts, then we can automatically be more weary of this claim. Also, the fact that the Edwards couldn't provide any sources to back up his claim is more reason to believe this claim to be false.

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I agree, and this is a great fact check. I also read an article by AP news saying what truly happened. From my understanding T-mobile put out a new terms and conditions that list that the new fines are directed towards 3rd party messaging campaigns not T Mobile users.

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Your fact check did a great job of finding information about the source. The deep dive done was very well executed, I liked how you stated that he has zero credibility due to his lack of sources. Along with that, I felt that adding T-Mobile terms and conditions was a nicely added touch to your fack check because it provided the information of what data they are actually collecting from users.

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I think the part about the terms and conditions helps to strengthen your fact check as they are completely different from what is being claimed. I also liked how you noted the lack of sources as well.

Answer 3

This claim is not accurate. It is embellishing a new policy by T-Mobile that, in 2024, three new fines will go into effect. According to T-Mobile and published by the Associated Press, “The vendors will be fined if the content they are sending does not meet the standards in our code of conduct, which is in place to protect consumers from illegal or illicit content and aligns to federal and state laws.”  This is an exaggeration of the real policy: fining vendors, not people, for placing illegal content. It was first seen on Instagram and TikTok and used to increase discourse and hatred for Joe Biden by saying that your freedom of privacy is being infringed on. They do not source where they use information but change it to fit an agenda by misrepresenting the policy.   
Sources:

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-t-mobile-text-messages-censor-fine-678022041564
https://www.tiktok.com/@savejxn/video/7316643376214871338?q=T-mobile%203%2C500&t=1704291298879

Comments

Wouldn't the claim be false given your fact-check?

Answer 4

This claim is inaccurate. After reading T-Mobiles terms and conditions there was no evidence to suggest that they have access to and read private text messages of their clients. After reading an article by AP news-a well respected organization it was clear that the new policy was created to be false information. Melissa Goldin at AP News stated "The wireless carrier is instituting new fines for third-party vendors that send mass messaging campaigns on behalf of other businesses, not for individual consumers." You can see how people would take this information and turn it into something it is not. 

After looking at the source of the original claim I have found this is not a reliable source. Clay Edwards owner of the tiktok account savejxn posts political news content containing false information to gain viewers. 

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-t-mobile-text-messages-censor-fine-678022041564

Comments

I liked how you effectively debunked the claim by examining T-Mobile's terms and conditions and referencing a reputable source, AP News, which clarified that the new policy was misrepresented. I also liked how you provided insight into the unreliable nature of the original source, highlighting the motivations behind spreading false information.

Answer 5

After some research, it looks like the policy that @savejaxn on TikTok is referring to is one that T-Mobile will implement to "[fine] third-party vendors that send mass messaging campaigns," according to AP News. There have been many news outlets that have fact-checked this claim, including USA Today and Oregon Live, further proving the falsity of this TikTok. 

Answer 6

The claim is false, though I will debunk it through the fact that Joe Biden, or any President, does not have authority over T-Mobile, or any other social media companies, nor does he have authority over any specific social media or communications company. As President of the United States, Biden may regulate some some communications via the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), though this is done via the head of the FCC within the organization -- not typically the President himself.
However, private communications companies are not public entities; they are not controlled by the federal government. The government cannot regulate specific speech being provided by the services of a private communications company and between private individuals. It can, however, require that private consumer information be turned over to law enforcement and courts if there exists a threat to public safety within such communications.
Furthermore, rules established by the FCC under the Communications Act of 1934 can only be suspended by the President in case of war, threat of war, or other disaster. Joe Biden, however, has not done so.

Source: https://bja.ojp.gov/program/it/privacy-civil-liberties/authorities/statutes/1288

Comments

This was a good response but you could have provided a clearer and more concise explanation of why the claim is false, possibly by citing specific policies or statements from T-Mobile or official government sources. ordy, but good overall. nice work.

Answer 7

This claim is fully false and appears to be a baseless conspiracy theory. There is no evidence to suggest that Joe Biden or his administration has implemented any policy allowing T-Mobile or any other telecommunications company to read private text messages or fine individuals for hate speech. Such an action would also likely be unconstitutional and would face significant legal challenges.

Comments

Do you have any sources?

Answer 8

This is a false claim. A plan to curb mass marketing texts not up to date with industry standards is being misunderstood as mass censorship of consumers. It was claimed in an instagram video that, "if your messages fall under what they call SHAFT — that is the acronym for sex, hate, alcohol, firearms or tobacco — they are going to start fining their customers for talking about stuff about that on their bandwidth.” While T-Mobile will be introducing three new fines in 2024, personal texts won’t be affected. “The change only impacts third-party messaging vendors that send commercial mass messaging campaigns for other businesses," Says the company. The policy is being put in place to protect the legal and privacy right of their customers. Joe Biden also doesn't have a part in the story from what I have read on APnews.com.

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-t-mobile-text-messages-censor-fine-678022041564#

Answer 9

 I think this claim is inaccurate in two ways. The first is that this is a decision that is up to the president of the United States. For the most part, companies like T-Mobile are subject to regulation but their terms and conditions are written up by the companies themselves. In this case T-Mobile adheres to standards set by the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet association (CITA), which is a trade association and interest group representing American telecommunications and Internet companies. You can read about CITA, and see the "SHAFT" standards mentioned by the tik-tok here:

CITA Website

CITA handbook mentioning SHAFT

The other inaccuracy in this claim is the policy and fine itself. It is clear that the T-Mobile terms and conditions for regular customers says nothing about SHAFT standards. There is a brief mention of T-Mobile's right to terminate messaging programs done by third parties in its code of conduct though. I have linked both below.

Terms and conditions

Code of Conduct

There is also a solid fact check done by the AP on this if you still need more information.\

The poster of the tiktok makes a lot of content like this: Misleading and inflammatory misinformation. He also hosts a talk radio program, which seemingly has much of the same content. Its unclear if this person is trying to utilize outrage ton tiktok to promote himself, as he makes no mention of his radio program in most of his videos, but does link to the show in his profile. This doesnt seem like an organization or group, but rather an individual disseminating (knowingly or unknowingly) misinformation which aligns better with his own worldview than the truth.

Comments

I like that you provided so many sources to support your fact-check.

Answer 10

While researching I found this article by apnews.com having a statement from a representative from T-mobile. The representative states that the fines only apply to third-party vendors that mass send messages for purposes of marketing, not to individuals. These fines apply to texts that discuss sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, or tobacco.

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-t-mobile-text-messages-censor-fine-678022041564