Facebook hired GOP oppo firm to smear protesters by linking them to George Soros, an anti-Semitic trope: NYT
We are watching Facebook unravel in real time. I hope.
From the New York Times, a story I can hardly believe -- had to read some grafs twice:
Excerpt:
When Facebook users learned last spring that the company had compromised their privacy in its rush to expand, allowing access to the personal information of tens of millions of people to a political data firm linked to President Trump, Facebook sought to deflect blame and mask the extent of the problem.
And when that failed - as the company's stock price plummeted and sparked a consumer backlash - Facebook went on the attack.
While Mr. Zuckerberg conducted a public apology tour in the last year, Ms. Sandberg has overseen an aggressive lobbying campaign to combat Facebook's critics, shift public anger toward rival companies and ward off damaging regulation. Facebook employed a Republican opposition-research firm to discredit activist protesters, in part by linking them to the liberal financier George Soros. It also tapped its business relationships, persuading a Jewish civil rights group to cast some criticism of the company as anti-Semitic.
You're gonna want to read the whole thing.
This story has been 6 months in the making. It started with a question: What happened inside Facebook over the last 3 years, and what did top executives, Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, do in the wake of crisis after crisis battering the company? https://t.co/N6kaDNqfj6
- Sheera Frenkel (@sheeraf) November 14, 2018
As a guy who's been lied to and about by Facebook in the past, and remained fair and tried to give them credit when due anyway, I'm just aghast.
Hiring someone to claim your protesters are paid by Soros is just... beyond the pale disgraceful corruption.https://t.co/Vwr3dC8v1c
- Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) November 14, 2018
hard to think of any single action that would be better for the health of our democracy than just dissolving facebook entirely
- Ashley Feinberg (@ashleyfeinberg) November 14, 2018
Joel Kaplan, who resisted the publication of Facebook's findings on Russian misinformation, also hosted a confirmation celebration for Brett Kavanaugh after the vote. He sat behind Kavanaugh when he testified in the Blasey Ford hearing https://t.co/N67J1nvOlR pic.twitter.com/bihuB5ilvx
- sarah jeong (@sarahjeong) November 14, 2018
Chuck Schumer, who's daughter works for Facebook, personally asked Warner to back off his criticism of the company.
- Avi Asher-Schapiro (@AASchapiro) November 14, 2018
There's so much in here between the Pod Save America guy running Facebook-backed campaigns against Soros, FB using the ADL to criticize left-wing protesters, and Chuck Schumer running interference on behalf of Sandberg directly
- noah kulwin (@nkulw) November 14, 2018
maybe this is an uncharitable reading of the massive, super impressive piece by @sheeraf and the NYT but...sure seems like Sandberg is at the center of much of what's ailed facebook in responding to unprecedented crises! https://t.co/kCGeKfKhic
- Charlie Warzel (@cwarzel) November 14, 2018
This is a damning bombshell of a story. What a total mess.@facebook is a hive of influence and hate and the insatiable hunger for cash.
Advertisers should back away from it immediately lest they get blamed for funding this shitshow with their ad dollars https://t.co/PZP3KSYPVO
- Sleeping Giants (@slpng_giants) November 14, 2018
In July, Chuck Schumer-who has raised thousands from Facebook employees and whose daughter works there-told Mark Warner to back off of the company. "Mr. Warner should be looking for ways to work with Facebook, Mr. Schumer advised, not harm it." https://t.co/3Q2SKLHtKg
- Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) November 14, 2018
The reporting by @sheeraf @nickconfessore & @ceciliakang shows in this piece.
This leapt out: "@Facebook lobbyists were kept abreast of @SenSchumer's efforts to protect the company."
Senator, the public needs you to stand up for transparency, not a tech company. pic.twitter.com/44Jm81lxtK
- Alex Howard (@digiphile) November 14, 2018
Great, so Facebook is actually using Kremlin propaganda narrative to protect itself.
That explains a heck of a lot ... https://t.co/NJL9Y8GJUO
- Molly McKew (@MollyMcKew) November 14, 2018
Facebook's DC policy guy is a Republican who showed up at Kavanaugh hearings to support him personally, and hosted the celebration party at his home. Silicon Valley is not liberal in substance-mostly liberal only in performative stuff. https://t.co/PFKkRpbOaG
- zeynep tufekci (@zeynep) November 14, 2018