As the leaders of the #StopHateForProfit coalition gear up to meet @Facebook leadership tomorrow, we want to hear what they will do to deal with this problem - not a repackaging of old talking points. But first, let’s take a minute to recap how we got here:
In 2018, as we were pressuring @Facebook about the rampant voter suppression, discrimination and disinformation on the platform, @Facebook hired a PR firm to launch a negative attack campaign against us that advanced anti-Black and anti-semitic narratives. nytimes.com/2018/11/21/tec…
Afterward, we had a meeting with Sheryl Sandberg where she apologized and committed to making their civil rights audit public. Over the years FB has made steps forward but refused to enforce them when powerful people (ex: Trump) violated their own rules washingtonpost.com/technology/202…
This audit has gone through several phases and release dates. After being told that the final section will be released Thursday, we learned that FB is moving it up to Wednesday, with press getting copies tomorrow, just as the #StopHateForProfit campaign meets with FB leadership.
This timing is a transparent effort to change the narrative. That Zuckerberg believes he is so powerful that he can ignore calls from major advertisers, multiple coalitions and a growing public puts our democracy and communities around the world at risk. marketwatch.com/story/zuckerbe…
Facebook shouldn't just consider civil rights once a month or when advertisers pull funding. We will know that they have taken our concerns seriously if their audit announcement includes the creation of a highest level decision-making position that is focused on civil rights.
The press must look beyond FB's press release, which will be an attempt to deflect from shortcomings on civil rights. We've heard FB tout changes before. What we've seen is that being in the good graces of those in power comes at the cost of transparency, integrity & user safety.
#StopHateForProfit started because we’ve had enough. FB has refused to invest in civil rights infrastructure, turned a blind eye to disinformation and made white nationalists "trusted fact checkers.” They have our demands. Releasing the audit we called for won't distract us.
