Title: On the Hot Seat: Facebook Confronted with Censorship of Conservative, Christian and Libertarian Content [Video]
Facebook’s new algorithm – rolled out in February – is crushing conservative, Christian and libertarian news content … and favoring progressive content.
But Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg denies it.
He testified for 2 days on Capitol Hill in front of 2 congressional committees regarding Facebook policies.
Zuckerberg was evasive in answering many of the questions – which focused more on political speech and censorship than on data privacy.
He appeared stiff and uncomfortable … and defiant … and he contradicted himself during his testimony.
He told Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) that Facebook’s goal is to be “a platform for all ideas.”
But then he said, “There is certain content that clearly we do not allow…”
After specifically mentioning “hate speech” … “terrorist content” … and “nudity” … he then added, “anything that makes people feel unsafe in the community.” [emphasis added]
Diamond and Silk – the black female conservative commentators who are staunch Trump supporters – recently received an email from Facebook informing them that their videos were judged to be “unsafe for the community.”
When questioned about this obvious conservative censorship, Zuckerberg stiffly declared it to be “an error” on the part of his evaluation team … and that it was being corrected.
Representative Steve Scalise (R-LA) read a quote from Campbell Brown – leader of Facebook’s news partnership team – in which she described the February “trusted sources” algorithm change as, “This is us changing our relationship with publishers and emphasizing something that Facebook has never done before: It’s having a point of view, and it’s leaning into quality news…”
Zuckerberg – when asked directly by Scalise if the quote he read was an accurate statement – told him it was not.
But Zuckerberg himself said – when he announced the algorithm change – “There’s too much sensationalism, misinformation and polarization in the world today…This update…will only shift the balance of news you see towards sources that are determined to be trusted by the community.”
Determined by whom to be trusted?
Certainly not by the individual user…
Watch Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) questioning Mark Zuckerberg (6 minutes):
What do you think? Write me at craig@craighuey.com
Comments 2
The original purpose of Facebook has been lost. It was originally intended for individuals to connect with family and friends – sharing photos and giving updates of what people were doing. I was happy to be in contact with friends and family who had moved to different states and with whom I’d had little contact. Over the years, “Suggested posts” have been filling my Facebook pages. I delete every one of them, even though I have to go through several steps, including answering why I don’t want to see them. Grrrr!!! Memes drive me crazy! I would be off of Facebook in an instant if I were not so concerned about missing messages and photos of grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, children, etc. Why does Facebook have to tell me what to watch? Why does Facebook feel it has to interfere in my life with its personal content and viewpoints?
Zuckenberg’s testimony to congress was a dodging nothing burger. The insidious nature of Facebooks product and the public use of this social platform can be best described in the frog in a pot of water on a stove with the heat turned on., it will remain in the water until it scalds itself to death before it realizes the heat is killing it. We all use Facebook and no one considers the amount of power that Zuckenberg possesses. I frequently refer to George Orwell’s dark classic “1984” in it he describes a variety of aspects of a society controlled by powerful totalitarians and their use of “political speak”. I find it summed up in a quote from the book itself: “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” George Orwell. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 1Pe 5:8