Mark Zuckerberg’s personal wealth increased by $72.3 billion during the past decade — $27.3 billion in 2019 alone. And yet he still won’t act to prevent false and misleading political advertising on Facebook.
Facebook is now the 5th largest corporation in America. It is also one of the 15 most profitable in the US. And it’s used by 2.5B people worldwide. There is no platform more essential to protect fair, equitable dialog and honest political advertising in the entire world — and yet Facebook is mostly alone in saying it will not act as have others.
Twitter, Snapchat, and Google have already taken action. Recently, Spotify rolled out new limits to political advertising. The company said it would indefinitely suspend political ads because it can’t sufficiently vet them. With all its money, tech, and power, Facebook still refuses to follow the lead of other tech giants who are seeking to ensure their platforms are misused to undermine fair elections in 2020.
While Zuckerberg continues to portray this as a blow for free speech — that each individual should decide for themselves what is correct or incorrect . How did America do with that from 2016 to 2019? Are people great and careful consumers of the information they see in social media— or do they tend to share any false and biased piece of information that feeds their perspective and outrage? Was fake news rejected resoundingly — or did it travel farther and faster than the truth on Facebook’s platform? Do people even care about sharing the truth, or is there a battle on Facebook to blast lies as widely as possible? Are some Facebook users only too happy to post and reshare lies such as that the Obamacare website cost was more than Trump’s border wall, that Ukraine interfered in our 2016 election, or that 10,150 Americans Killed by ‘Illegal Immigrants’ in 2018?
Facebook’s CEO has achieved wealth beyond the wildest dreams of most humans in history, yet he’d prefer to ignore the data and truth of his own platform and instead make empty claims that he’s supporting free speech. Who wins when political ads paid with dark money get more reach than other ads backed by transparent groups and funding? Who wins when Facebook’s algorithms give preference to posts with incendiary lies over those with simple truths? Who wins when political advertising contains lies and it’s up to each individual to figure out the truth — is that a strike for fair, balanced, honest content or for divisive, angry, false content?
In recent weeks, news organizations have uncovered Peter Thiel’s growing influence over Mark Zuckerberg. If you don’t know Thiel, you should. He’s a powerful Silicon Valley leader who’s been an opponent of free speech, a promoter of anti-consumer monopolies, and a supporter of Donald Trump. So, given Trump’s 15,000+ lies in office, who do you think is benefited when a powerful Trump supporter convinces Facebook that it should NOT check political ads for facts and truth? Thiel’s increased power within Facebook has led the New Republic to declare, “Facebook Is a Right-Wing Company.”
I don’t expect or want Facebook to be left- or right-wing. I hope that the most significant communication platform in history will be a force for honesty, good, and equity. But that’s not what’s happening, today. So, every single Facebook post and every single visit we make to Facebook only increases ad views and profits for Facebook and wealth for Mark Zuckerberg, telling the company and its leaders they need not change.
If you care about the truth and think it’s crucial to the outcome of the 2020 election, consider a New Year’s Resolution to take a break from Facebook. I’m not asking you to delete your account, just to take a break from the platform. If you do so, tag Facebook in a post telling others why you’re going dark. Until Facebook takes action to ensure fair dialog and safe elections, start #Start2020WithoutFacebook.
I’ve not yet deleted my Facebook account because hope to return and reconnect with my friends and family. I miss them! But I cannot and will not allow my content — offered freely to Facebook so that it can improve its profits — to help dishonest, disruptive, and unethical politicians to win in 2020.
Please consider joining me and taking action that encourages positive change on Facebook in 2020.