Politicians are allowed to spread false news on Facebook with impunity - this has now become too much for one celebrity.
This year it will be decided whether Donald Trump will retire or remain President of the USA for another four years. Accordingly, there will be a lot of political advertising on Facebook, and Trump's statements in particular are often criticized. This is enough for celebrities like Mark Hamill – they are leaving the platform.
The announcement
In a tweet, Mark Hamill accused Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg of putting profit over truth by allowing political advertising:
So disappointed that #MarkZuckerberg values profit more than truthfulness that I've decided to delete my @Facebook account. I know this is a big "Who Cares?" for the world at large, but I'll sleep better at night. #PatriotismOverProfits 🇲🇾>💰 https://t.co/seb2eJMTo6
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) January 12, 2020
In German:
“So disappointed that Mark Zuckerberg values profit over truthfulness that I have decided to delete my Facebook account. I know it's a big 'Who cares?' for the world as such, but I'll be able to sleep better at night."
Hamill also links to an article in the New York Times in which it is reported that Facebook will allow false claims in political ads and will not check them for truth, contrary to the demands of the US Congress.
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Facebook under criticism
Facebook's former head of security, Alex Stamos, is not happy about his former employer's decision to allow all political advertising without checking. Compromises could also be made without preventing discussion.
This is what he says on Twitter :
https://twitter.com/alexstamos/status/1215312537945812993?s=20
“I would limit fact-checking to claims made by politicians about their opponents.
“Mexico will pay for the wall” can be judged by voters, but statements like “My opponent will be arrested” should be checked.”
What are other platforms doing?
Facebook already has a unique selling point in allowing political advertising without checking, because other platforms act differently or in the opposite way:
- Snapchat clearly shows what political advertising is and who paid how much for it
- TikTok specifically distances itself from Facebook and bans all political advertising
- Twitter has stopped showing paid political advertising in its timeline since November 2019
Facebook will at least more transparency to political ads: it will show who placed an ad and how much was paid.
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Other celebrities have also left
Since the data scandals of the past few years, celebrities in particular have feared that their personal data will be misused, which is why various personalities have said goodbye , including the singer Cher, the actor and comedian Will Ferell, actor Jim Carrey and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak .
It remains to be seen whether other celebrities will follow Mark Hamill's example and concentrate on other platforms.
Article image: Shutterstock / Frederic Legrand – COMEO / Featureflash Photo Agency
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