Facebook recently sent shockwaves by refusing to take action against inflammatory posts put up by President Trump. As the US continues to burn following the shameful murder of a black man by a police officer, the government has taken a very strong-handed tactic. While other social media platforms have cornered and called out Trump for his callous statements, Facebook has remained mum. Trump’s tweet, which stated, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” was met with rage from almost everyone. After a walk-out protest by existing employees, Facebook now comes under fire from old employees. Read on to find out more about what happened, and how it can affect the company’s policy guidelines.
Employees Slam Facebook
The pressure seems to be mounting from all sides on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. His refusal to take stringent action against inflammatory posts put up by President Donald Trump has been met with much criticism. The latest backlash came from 33 previous early-stage employees, including those who drafted the company’s original community guidelines. Their open letter was published by The New York Times, as the group slammed Facebook for its current stance.
Call For Action
Several arguments that the letter makes have been made before by various fringe groups, media houses, and activists. However, the letter is a strong case against Zuckerberg’s stand on the issue. The group argues that Facebook’s position concerning moderating the President is inconsistent. The letter also calls out the company for exposing the dangers of free speech, while also having a double-standard when it comes to freedom of speech.
Zuckerberg has stated that the company will not be an “arbiter of truth” and that this stand comes after many conversations, introspection, and research. While he reprimands the President for his racist language, he stated that the post does not serve as a “dog whistle for vigilantes.” However, after mounting dissent from both employees and the online community, he has promised to re-examine company policy regarding posts that mention the use of force.
Zuckerberg’s Stance
However, the authors of the letter argue that President Trump’s post threatens violence and sends a signal to take cues from him. As we now live in the age of live-streaming atrocities like mass shootings, they believe that Facebook should take a better stand on the issue. Trump’s post has a history stemmed in racism and targets people who are easily persuaded. The group believes Facebook should not allow his words to have such a far-reaching influence, which could prove fatal and dangerous.
Demands in the Letter
The letter also asks the company’s leadership to reconsider their policies and fact-check politicians. They also believe that like Twitter, Facebook, too, should start explicitly labeling posts that violate their policies on political speech. The group consists of people who had drafted Facebook’s first Community Standards and helped create its connection to free speech. The authors state that the Facebook they joined and worked for tried to empower and protect people. It aimed to allow freedom of expression, up to an extent where it did not explicitly harm anyone. While there were disagreements, all the employees agreed that keeping people safe was the most important thing. However, the letter states that they fear those guidelines have now changed.
Though they no longer work at Facebook, they remain proud of what they built together and feel sad not being able to recognize it anymore. The group also believes that they have a responsibility to raise their voice, as they helped build the company, and gave it the power it enjoys now. As it checks the speech of non-politicians, the group believes that this brings out a double-standard in the company. The letter blasts the company for not taking a noble stand against hate speech and for freedom. The group even calls the company’s stand “cowardly” for it should hold the opinions of politicians to a higher standard than the ordinary people.
It will be interesting to see how the company retaliates. For now, Facebook and its CEO have remained mum and have not commented on this letter. With pressure mounting, Facebook might have to rethink its policies and adopt something that is more acceptable to the public.
Being a cinephile with a love for all things outdoorsy, Athulya never misses a chance to chase inspiring stories or poke fun at things, even when the subject is herself. Currently pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, she is someone innately interested in technical and scientific research. Music reviews and op-eds define her as they allow her to explore different perspectives. Though sometimes she thinks she makes more sense playing the guitar than she does while writing.