© thecut.com/UnknownFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg • Billionaire George Soros
Left-wing billionaire George Soros argued that control of Facebook should be
wrested from Mark Zuckerberg because he believes the CEO wants President Trump reelected.The 89-year-old made the argument in a
Friday column in the
New York Times titled "Mark Zuckerberg Should Not Be in Control of Facebook."
"Facebook should be judged by what it does, not what it says. I repeat and reaffirm my accusation against Facebook under the leadership of Mr. Zuckerberg and Ms. Sandberg. They follow only one guiding principle: maximize profits irrespective of the consequences."
The billionaire also pointed to Zuckerberg's meetings with Trump as raising "serious questions." Soros concluded his article by stating that Zuckerberg "should not be left in control of Facebook." He did not specify how control should be taken away from the company's founder.
Earlier this month, Soros
made a similar argument in the
Wall Street Journal, where he said Facebook was helping Trump because the president "will work to protect" them.
Comment: More from
Washington Examiner, 23/1/2020: Soros says Facebook trying to reelect Trump
Soros has been mostly critical of Trump but touted the president's efforts on China, a compliment framed as "the greatest — and perhaps only — foreign policy accomplishment" of the administration, in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.
"I think there is a kind of informal mutual assistance operation or agreement developing between Trump and Facebook," he said. "Facebook will work together to reelect Trump, and Trump will work to protect Facebook so that this situation cannot be changed, and it makes me very concerned about the outcome for 2020."
A Soros-linked liberal advocacy group spent a record $48 million in 2019, $40 million more than the combined 14 years prior. Soros is a major funder of Democratic Party politics and advocacy work.
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg ignited controversy after she asked staff to look into whether Soros had a financial incentive to criticize the company.
Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani is a pronounced Soros critic, claiming Ukrainian Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was "controlled" by the liberal billionaire.
The New York Times, 31/1/2020: Zuckerberg should not control Facebook
Author: George Soros
I believe that Mr. Trump and Facebook's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, realize that their interests are aligned — the president's in winning elections, Mr. Zuckerberg's in making money.
Let's look at the evidence: In 2016, Facebook provided the Trump campaign with embedded staff who helped to optimize its advertising program. Brad Parscale, the digital director of Mr. Trump's 2016 campaign and now his campaign manager for 2020, said that Facebook helped Mr. Trump and gave him the edge. This seems to have marked the beginning of a special relationship.
More recently, direct contact between the two men has raised serious questions. Mr. Zuckerberg met with Mr. Trump in the Oval Office on Sept. 19, 2019. We don't know what was said.
Mr. Trump apparently had no problem with Facebook's decision not to fact-check political ads. Facebook's decision not to require fact-checking for political candidates' advertising in 2020 has flung open the door for false, manipulated, extreme and incendiary statements.
What's more, Facebook's design tends to obscure the sources of inflammatory and false content, and fails to adequately punish those who spread false information. Nor does the company effectively warn those who are exposed to lies.
I expressed my fear that with Facebook's help, Mr. Trump will win the 2020 election. The recent hiring of a right-wing figure to help manage its news tab has reinforced those fears.
Facebook has introduced new features on its mobile app that actually intensify the fire of incendiary political attacks — making them easier and quicker to propagate. The system is cost-free to the poster and revenue-generating for Facebook. Good for Facebook, bad for democracy.
See also:
Comment: More from Washington Examiner, 23/1/2020: Soros says Facebook trying to reelect Trump The New York Times, 31/1/2020: Zuckerberg should not control Facebook
Author: George Soros See also: