NAACP CALLS FOR A
FACEBOOK BOYCOTT
The revelations in two Senate reports about Russian
subversion of Facebook and Instagram, have led the NAACP to call for a one-week
boycott of Facebook. I shall therefore switch off my Facebook page until after
Christmas. The reports reveal (NYT of 18Dec page A14) that the Russians’
Internet Research Agency had 1.4 million followers on its right-wing extremist
pages whipping up white supremacist racial hatred and supporting Trump; and 1.2
million followers on false pages targeting Africa Americans, promoting absurd
messages like “KKK gave $20m to Hillary Clinton” and seeking to depress voting
by Clinton supporters. There were 77 million engagements on Facebook and 187
million on Instagram (owned by Facebook). Virtually all internet platforms were
subverted by the IRA in St Petersburg, but Facebook had the largest influence
and apparently the least concern. Zuckerberg and his team have been
irresponsible. Since Trump “won” by 88,000 votes across three states, it is
difficult to believe that the Russians did not swing the election. What can I do? I can support the NAACP call
for a Facebook boycott.
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