Call me a filthy neo-liberal, but FB is privately-owned. It patently is not private in any other sense. It hoovers up our data, sells it to all and sundry, influences the public discourse for better or ill by the algorithms it uses to decide what we see in its timelines, and when we want to know what it is doing, and how, decides that the public influence it has should not be reciprocated at all.
Facebook is not a cloister of nuns separate from the world, it is part of the public sphere, and the public should have some say in how it manipulates that sphere. Through the ambition of Zuckerberg and others it has made itself an integral part of public discourse, and we, the public, should have some have some say in that, just as we have some say in how roads and airlines and telephone companies interact with us.
They do exist, though they are extremely rare. Even among the more classically conservative, who don’t like Trump’s populism, climate denialism is very common.
How much does wagging a finger do when we are reading this on a left leaning equivalent? Do we hope people will be smart and verify the source of the shit they’re reading? Sure, but will this ever happen withing the demographic that is being specifically targeted because of their gullability? Definitive no.
Those things were largely replaced with other things that were effectively the same/better. Facebook replaced MySpace, itunes replaced Napster and actual ISP’s replaced AOL.
I’m sorry, and I’m merciless about this. Why the fuck would anyone believe a story published via facebook?
When did we as people forget the mantra “don’t believe anything you read in the papers” - let alone the sewer that is facebook.
The world is stuffed with liars and cheats. They’ll do anything. We always need to remember that, and teach the next generation the same thing.
We can’t let Trump, Tony Blair, Bush and the like spin our heads until we don’t remember.
FFS - reports are saying if Zuckerberg, that Hawaiian land stealing nerd, runs for prez, he’ll get it - because of the level of control he has over the media. We’re already seeing how little can be done to prevent that.
That still doesn’t absolve them of their responsibility to ensure that their service complies with the law. This is not the first time Facebook has put profit over compliance, either. They were recently caught flagrantly violating the Fair Housing Act by allowing people to place racially discriminatory housing ads on their platform. Violations of the Fair Housing Act apply to the person or company placing the ad and the person or company running it, because everyone is culpable in the production and distribution of discriminatory material. Facebook is not immune from the law simply because they’re a (semi-)private company.
This is not the sort of activity that “just don’t use it” can be expected to solve, any more than “just don’t buy electricity from the company dumping coal ash into the river” solves pollution. Governmental regulation of private enterprise - especially large, entrenched enterprise - is an essential part of creating a functional society. The notion that laws can only be applied to public institutions is stupefyingly out of touch with reality.
It’s illegal for Americans to aid foreign nationals in spending money on our elections. The BCRA does also claim it’s illegal for foreign nationals to contribute to any American candidate’s campaign. But even if we decide it’s a good idea, what practical way is there for the US government to punish foreign nationals for spending money on ads? Sure we could levy sanctions against their governments if they refused to prosecute them on our behalf or extradite them, but what are the chances of any country or international jurist going along with that? FB is an American company; I’d argue the productive thing is to hold them accountable for breaking the law since we have no way to hold the Russians accountable even if they hadn’t covered their tracks. [ETA: I see you more or less made that point while I was typing.]
Sarcasm duly noted; but sadly, I don’t know what can be done to counter such a nefarious plot that’s been at work since decades before I was even born.
Because the dumbening succeeded;
Being ‘book-smart’ has long since been derided, while mindless athleticism has been put on a pedestal. Using tech to do everything has replaced individual critical thinking and problem solving skills. The airwaves are rife with vapid substanceless content meant to lull the masses into a daze of complacency and inertia.
And this has all been going on since at least the invention of television, if not earlier.
