AllTop Viral!

Satirical websites are going after Mark Zuckerberg hard by calling him a child molester and saying he’s dead. They’re not doing so just to be jerks. Instead, they’re trying to test Facebook’s refusal to factcheck its content. This story is especially significant given two things: Trump’s ongoing battle with Twitter and accusations of political corruption previously levied against Zuckerberg.

Trump’s Twitter War: 

One thing you need to know about the latest Facebook drama is Trump’s Twitter war, which was partly what Zuckerberg was reacting to. A little less than a week ago, Trump took to twitter to complain about twitter, tweeting out a message heard ’round the world:

Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen. We saw what they attempted to do, and failed, in 2016. We can’t let a more sophisticated version of that….

Then he signed an executive order targeting social media, which, according to the New York Times, might actually backfire on him. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey warned that the company would continue to fact check any information related to elections.

And then, following the violence in Minnesota, Trump tweeted this:

….These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!

Twitter escalated by hiding the post under this warning, signaling a major escalation in the battle with Trump:

This Tweet violates our policies regarding the glorification of violence based on the historical context of the last line, its connection to violence, and the risk it could inspire similar actions today.

 

Zuckerberg’s History of Political Corruption

Mark Zuckerberg had a secret dinner at the White House. Your first reaction to that might rightly be: so what? Let the guy have dinner. Except here’s the problem. Facebook is under scrutiny for potentially violating antitrust legislation, and Elizabeth Warren thinks that Zuckerberg is “going on a charm offensive.” Facebook spokespeople said that such a dinner is normal, however.

Zuckerberg was also recorded calling Elizabeth Warren’s campaign an “existential” threat to Facebook. Zuckerberg met with Donald Trump, after which Facebook announced it would no longer fact check or otherwise censor political content. Coincidence? Warren didn’t think so. In a series of tweets, she called out Facebook for its political bias.

Facebook’s attempt to weed out the toxic, fake news articles is highly questionable, and not just because it’s run by someone with open bias. The head of its news partnerships, Campbell Brown, cofounded a website that publishes anti-Warren ads. Facebook also faced backlash after it included the infamous news site Breitbart on its new “high quality” news tab. That news outlet has been widely criticized for posting extremist, “alt-right” content and conspiracy theories.

More news.