I wrote a blog entry over four years ago about Facebook tolerating hate groups. I won't repeat the post here, other than to say it became apparent after I lodged a complaint with them and got a wholly unsatisfactory reply that the company must have a very strange set of community standards, given that I was told the anti-Muslim group in question did not violate them.
It now appears that the situation at Facebook is even worse, thanks to its promotion of private and 'secret' groups, some of which have very frightening agendas. The following Global News reports explains all:
Facebook is a corporate digital giant that needs far greater government intervention and regulation than has thus far been meted out. Despite its public persona, it is clearly not our friend.
As one of the very few people who does not subscribe or use Facecrap (or indeed any social media application) this is no surprise to me. The ever increasing 'misinformation' and hate spread by the internet in general makes this old fellow who has had a computer on his desk continuously since the 80s I now wonder if we are going forwards or backwards.
ReplyDeleteYou are wise to avoid it, Rural. Had it not been for the reason I outlined in my original post, linked within the above, I likely would not have joined either. What disturbs me the most is how these so-called Internet giants seem to sincerely believe they are above any kind of law, be it legislative or moral.
DeleteThe concern is fully justified. Twitter issued an announcement today apparently targeted at Zuckerman that it will not longer permit political advertising on its media platform.
ReplyDeleteDorsey explained the decision in lengthy thread posted on Wednesday afternoon, and specifically pushed back against the reasoning Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg used to defend Facebook's policy allowing paid political ads with intentional lies and misinformation.
"This isn't about free expression. This is about paying for reach. And paying to increase the reach of political speech has significant ramifications that today's democratic infrastructure may not be prepared to handle. It's worth stepping back in order to address," Dorsey tweeted.
Whether that will have any impact on hate speech is unclear. Trump loads plenty of that in his tweets but seems to get away with it.
I await, but with no great optimism that things will change, Mound.
DeleteI'm in my early 30's and have had FB well over 10 years. It's become kind of necessary in a way... Many young people change their phone numbers constantly and the platform is a good way to stay in touch with friends and family who moved away. About 5 years ago I was out of work and put up a "looking for a job" post and sure enough an old acquaintance hooked me up. Still at the same company.
ReplyDeleteSure it can be a cesspool of hate and bickering, but it's also helped people find missing pets so there's that.
I think I'm going to keep it solely for messaging and the neat video chat feature.
-MC
I agree that it has many desirable aspects, M.C. I guess the best approach is to be aware of its shortcomings, and, when discovering some of its disreputable practices, to let as many people as possible know about them. In my view, it cries out for more government regulation.
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