Some Facebook users are dialing back use over latest scandal
Some Facebook users are dialing back use over latest
scandal
JP Mangalindan Chief Tech Correspondent November 16, 2018
Expect some Facebook (FB) users to dial back their use of
the popular social network and even delete their accounts following the
publication of a damning exposé this week.
On Wednesday, The New York Times published an extensive
feature that revealed how Facebook management was reluctant to tackle
Russia-linked activity on the social network following the 2016 U.S.
presidential election, how unprepared Facebook was for the ensuing public
fallout, as well the social network’s efforts to wield influence on Capitol
Hill.
Chief among Facebook’s alleged infractions: employing
Definers Public Affairs, a Republican opposition research firm, to accuse
left-wing financier George Soros of quietly backing anti-Facebook groups.
“It’s too early to tell the full impact The New York
Times story is having — we would have to see in a month — but it will impact [Facebook’s]
Daily Active Users and even just the people who are concerned about
occasionally logging on and giving clicks and views to a company they might
disagree with,” says Altimeter Group analyst Omar Akhtar, who adds the report
severely tarnished Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s once-sterling
reputation.
A dealbreaker
This latest controversy proved to be a dealbreaker for at
least some Facebook users, who became increasingly disillusioned with the
company and its methods following a string of scandals this year.
Tamara Rudorfer, CEO of Elusive View Entertainment, a New
York City-based streaming video company, joined Facebook in 2007, when the
social network still required a college email address to register for an
account. In those earlier years, she enjoyed using Facebook to stay in touch
with people she didn’t often see in-person. However, Rudorfer was turned off
after learning of the social network’s role in the 2016 U.S. presidential
election — even more so when the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke in March. This
week’s turn of events, which included Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg denying
knowledge of hiring Definers Public Affairs, proved the “last straw.”
“When Mark Zuckerberg claims that he doesn’t know what’s
going on at his own company, I just want to say to him, ‘How are you not
responsible for the content on your website?” says Rudorfer. “You’re the
founder. You’re the CEO. You are responsible.”
Andreas Trolf, a TV and fiction writer in Los Angeles,
plans on deleting his Facebook account on Nov. 22, after more than a decade of
use, once he’s downloaded his profile data and noted the birthdays of some
close friends on Facebook.
“The decision to delete my account is something I’ve
wrestled with for a while now — at least since 2016,” explains Trolf. “I love
Simpsons meme pages as much as anybody, but the costs now definitely outweigh
the benefits. To be caught up with so many bad actors who exploit the platform,
seemingly with the blessing of FB executives, is something I can no longer in
good conscience continue with. The malfeasance of Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl
Sandberg shouldn’t be rewarded by our continued patronage.”
Going one step further, Natalie Marigot, an art studio
manager in New Haven, Conn., deleted her Facebook, Instagram and Messenger
accounts earlier this week— a difficult decision because Facebook, especially, was
a convenient solution for her to keep in touch with far-flung friends.
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