Public Citizen is demanding Facebook take more action to control misinformation on the platform. (Photo: flickr/GostGo/cc)
Facebook Under Fire After Its Response to Coronavirus Misinformation Makes Clear Company Could Do More to Combat Political Lies
"It's not about free speech. It's about money."
Advocacy group Public Citizen is calling on social media giant Facebook to take the same action against political misinformation it has to lies about the coronavirus on the platform.
"Facebook makes the high-minded claim that it's protecting free speech by doing little about political misinformation," said the group. "What it's really doing is pandering to powerful political interests, particularly those with deep pockets, at the expense of the long-term health of the company and our democracy."
As Common Dreams reported Tuesday, Facebook is under fire for reports that company executives knowingly ignored warnings that its algorithm incites divisiveness as an engagement tool and refused to take action.
"Facebook knows what it's doing, intentionally continues to cause harm to increase engagement and profit, and will never fix these problems themselves," said the group Freedom From Facebook and Google in response to the revelations.
Public Citizen's call echoed those accusations of the company's complicity.
"Facebook is a corporation that rakes in enormous profit selling ads," the group said. "Therefore, what types of ads are being sold, how they are performing, who is seeing them, who is paying for them, and what information silos they create for other ad revenue are all important to Facebook."
The group called on Facebook shareholders to hold the company accountable and demand that the platform make more clear which political ads are based in lies and misinformation.
"When corporations have outsized influence over our elections, democracies lose," said Public Citizen. "Facebook should be in the business of promoting honest, robust civic discourse for the benefit of its users, shareholders, and democracies the world over."
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This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Advocacy group Public Citizen is calling on social media giant Facebook to take the same action against political misinformation it has to lies about the coronavirus on the platform.
"Facebook makes the high-minded claim that it's protecting free speech by doing little about political misinformation," said the group. "What it's really doing is pandering to powerful political interests, particularly those with deep pockets, at the expense of the long-term health of the company and our democracy."
As Common Dreams reported Tuesday, Facebook is under fire for reports that company executives knowingly ignored warnings that its algorithm incites divisiveness as an engagement tool and refused to take action.
"Facebook knows what it's doing, intentionally continues to cause harm to increase engagement and profit, and will never fix these problems themselves," said the group Freedom From Facebook and Google in response to the revelations.
Public Citizen's call echoed those accusations of the company's complicity.
"Facebook is a corporation that rakes in enormous profit selling ads," the group said. "Therefore, what types of ads are being sold, how they are performing, who is seeing them, who is paying for them, and what information silos they create for other ad revenue are all important to Facebook."
The group called on Facebook shareholders to hold the company accountable and demand that the platform make more clear which political ads are based in lies and misinformation.
"When corporations have outsized influence over our elections, democracies lose," said Public Citizen. "Facebook should be in the business of promoting honest, robust civic discourse for the benefit of its users, shareholders, and democracies the world over."
Advocacy group Public Citizen is calling on social media giant Facebook to take the same action against political misinformation it has to lies about the coronavirus on the platform.
"Facebook makes the high-minded claim that it's protecting free speech by doing little about political misinformation," said the group. "What it's really doing is pandering to powerful political interests, particularly those with deep pockets, at the expense of the long-term health of the company and our democracy."
As Common Dreams reported Tuesday, Facebook is under fire for reports that company executives knowingly ignored warnings that its algorithm incites divisiveness as an engagement tool and refused to take action.
"Facebook knows what it's doing, intentionally continues to cause harm to increase engagement and profit, and will never fix these problems themselves," said the group Freedom From Facebook and Google in response to the revelations.
Public Citizen's call echoed those accusations of the company's complicity.
"Facebook is a corporation that rakes in enormous profit selling ads," the group said. "Therefore, what types of ads are being sold, how they are performing, who is seeing them, who is paying for them, and what information silos they create for other ad revenue are all important to Facebook."
The group called on Facebook shareholders to hold the company accountable and demand that the platform make more clear which political ads are based in lies and misinformation.
"When corporations have outsized influence over our elections, democracies lose," said Public Citizen. "Facebook should be in the business of promoting honest, robust civic discourse for the benefit of its users, shareholders, and democracies the world over."