Chris Hughes: It's Time to Break Up Facebook

[brooklynite]

Mark is a good, kind person. But I’m angry that his focus on growth led him to sacrifice security and civility for clicks. I’m disappointed in myself and the early Facebook team for not thinking more about how the News Feed algorithm could change our culture, influence elections and empower nationalist leaders. And I’m worried that Mark has surrounded himself with a team that reinforces his beliefs instead of challenging them.

The government must hold Mark accountable. For too long, lawmakers have marveled at Facebook’s explosive growth and overlooked their responsibility to ensure that Americans are protected and markets are competitive. Any day now, the Federal Trade Commission is expected to impose a $5 billion fine on the company, but that is not enough; nor is Facebook’s offer to appoint some kind of privacy czar. After Mark’s congressional testimony last year, there should have been calls for him to truly reckon with his mistakes. Instead the legislators who questioned him were derided as too old and out of touch to understand how tech works. That’s the impression Mark wanted Americans to have, because it means little will change.

We are a nation with a tradition of reining in monopolies, no matter how well intentioned the leaders of these companies may be. Mark’s power is unprecedented and un-American.

It is time to break up Facebook.

Chris Hughes, a co-founder of Facebook, is a co-chairman of the Economic Security Project and a senior adviser at the Roosevelt Institute.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/09/opinion/sunday/chris-hughes-facebook-zuckerberg.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

[Raster]

1. Thank you, Chris! I could NOT agree more.

Farcebook* is a media monopoly and needs to be treated as such. I started in Farcebook* the year they went public. I have deleted my account and will not use Farcebook* again until there are major changes.

[GoCubsGo]

2. Chris Hughes could put Facebook out of business by starting up an alternative.

Or, anyone else. There are millions and millions of us who only use it for what was it's original purpose: Keeping in touch with friends and family. We would happily migrate over to a better alternative, if there was one.

[we can do it]

3. Shut the traitorist waste of time down.