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Presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) gestures as she speaks during a town hall meeting at Florida International University in Miami, Florida on June 25, 2019. (Photo: Rhona Wise/AFP)
Warren Challenges Facebook's Political Advertising Policy--With Ad That Falsely Claims CEO Zuckerberg Endorsed Trump
"Facebook holds incredible power to affect elections and our national debate," said the presidential hopeful. "They've decided to let political figures lie to you."
Oct 12, 2019
Presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren this week targeted Facebook's advertising policy--which allows politicians to circulate lies--with an ad of her own, which falsely claims that the company's CEO Mark Zuckerberg endorsed President Donald Trump for re-election.
The Massachusetts Democrat, who is now the frontrunner in her party's 2020 presidential primary, took to Twitter Saturday to share her campaign's Facebook ad that aims to draw attention to the social media giant's policy, which Warren sees as a threat to democracy.
After claiming that Zuckerberg endorsed Trump, Warren's ad later acknowledges that the claim is not true while also arguing that the tech executive has "given Donald Trump free rein to lie on his platform--and then to pay Facebook gobs of money to push out their lies to American voters."
"Facebook already helped elect Donald Trump once," the ad declares. "It's time to hold Mark Zuckerberg accountable."
Warren, in her series of tweets on Saturday, wrote that "Facebook holds incredible power to affect elections and our national debate."
"They've decided to let political figures lie to you--even about Facebook itself--while their executives and their investors get even richer off the ads containing these lies," she continued. "Once again, we're seeing Facebook throw its hands up to battling misinformation in the political discourse, because when profit comes up against protecting democracy, Facebook chooses profit."
The Washington Post article which Warren shared explains that "as Facebook cracked down on disinformation flooding its social media platforms, executives decided to codify a key loophole: Politicians remained free to lie at will--unbound by the rules designed to stop everyday users from peddling viral falsehoods."
"This decision, put into place last year, has sparked a sharp backlash this week among Democrats, who complain that it gives President Trump free rein to use major social media platforms as disinformation machines," the Post notes, referencing Warren's ad as well as former Vice President Joe Biden's recent request that Facebook remove a dishonest Trump campaign ad.
Despite the criticism, Facebook has doubled down on its political advertising policy. In a statement Friday responding to Warren's ad, Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone told CNN that "if Senator Warren wants to say things she knows to be untrue, we believe Facebook should not be in the position of censoring that speech."
This is far from the first time Warren has publicly faced off against the social media giant. One of her many plans for the 2020 race calls for breaking up Big Tech companies. That proposal, unveiled in March, received renewed attention earlier this month after audio leaked from an internal Facebook meeting at which Zuckerberg vowed to "fight" against it if Warren wins the White House.
Warren, in response to Zuckerberg's remarks about her plan and potential presidency, said that "I'm not afraid to hold Big Tech companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon accountable. It's time to #BreakUpBigTech."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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Presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren this week targeted Facebook's advertising policy--which allows politicians to circulate lies--with an ad of her own, which falsely claims that the company's CEO Mark Zuckerberg endorsed President Donald Trump for re-election.
The Massachusetts Democrat, who is now the frontrunner in her party's 2020 presidential primary, took to Twitter Saturday to share her campaign's Facebook ad that aims to draw attention to the social media giant's policy, which Warren sees as a threat to democracy.
After claiming that Zuckerberg endorsed Trump, Warren's ad later acknowledges that the claim is not true while also arguing that the tech executive has "given Donald Trump free rein to lie on his platform--and then to pay Facebook gobs of money to push out their lies to American voters."
"Facebook already helped elect Donald Trump once," the ad declares. "It's time to hold Mark Zuckerberg accountable."
Warren, in her series of tweets on Saturday, wrote that "Facebook holds incredible power to affect elections and our national debate."
"They've decided to let political figures lie to you--even about Facebook itself--while their executives and their investors get even richer off the ads containing these lies," she continued. "Once again, we're seeing Facebook throw its hands up to battling misinformation in the political discourse, because when profit comes up against protecting democracy, Facebook chooses profit."
The Washington Post article which Warren shared explains that "as Facebook cracked down on disinformation flooding its social media platforms, executives decided to codify a key loophole: Politicians remained free to lie at will--unbound by the rules designed to stop everyday users from peddling viral falsehoods."
"This decision, put into place last year, has sparked a sharp backlash this week among Democrats, who complain that it gives President Trump free rein to use major social media platforms as disinformation machines," the Post notes, referencing Warren's ad as well as former Vice President Joe Biden's recent request that Facebook remove a dishonest Trump campaign ad.
Despite the criticism, Facebook has doubled down on its political advertising policy. In a statement Friday responding to Warren's ad, Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone told CNN that "if Senator Warren wants to say things she knows to be untrue, we believe Facebook should not be in the position of censoring that speech."
This is far from the first time Warren has publicly faced off against the social media giant. One of her many plans for the 2020 race calls for breaking up Big Tech companies. That proposal, unveiled in March, received renewed attention earlier this month after audio leaked from an internal Facebook meeting at which Zuckerberg vowed to "fight" against it if Warren wins the White House.
Warren, in response to Zuckerberg's remarks about her plan and potential presidency, said that "I'm not afraid to hold Big Tech companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon accountable. It's time to #BreakUpBigTech."
Presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren this week targeted Facebook's advertising policy--which allows politicians to circulate lies--with an ad of her own, which falsely claims that the company's CEO Mark Zuckerberg endorsed President Donald Trump for re-election.
The Massachusetts Democrat, who is now the frontrunner in her party's 2020 presidential primary, took to Twitter Saturday to share her campaign's Facebook ad that aims to draw attention to the social media giant's policy, which Warren sees as a threat to democracy.
After claiming that Zuckerberg endorsed Trump, Warren's ad later acknowledges that the claim is not true while also arguing that the tech executive has "given Donald Trump free rein to lie on his platform--and then to pay Facebook gobs of money to push out their lies to American voters."
"Facebook already helped elect Donald Trump once," the ad declares. "It's time to hold Mark Zuckerberg accountable."
Warren, in her series of tweets on Saturday, wrote that "Facebook holds incredible power to affect elections and our national debate."
"They've decided to let political figures lie to you--even about Facebook itself--while their executives and their investors get even richer off the ads containing these lies," she continued. "Once again, we're seeing Facebook throw its hands up to battling misinformation in the political discourse, because when profit comes up against protecting democracy, Facebook chooses profit."
The Washington Post article which Warren shared explains that "as Facebook cracked down on disinformation flooding its social media platforms, executives decided to codify a key loophole: Politicians remained free to lie at will--unbound by the rules designed to stop everyday users from peddling viral falsehoods."
"This decision, put into place last year, has sparked a sharp backlash this week among Democrats, who complain that it gives President Trump free rein to use major social media platforms as disinformation machines," the Post notes, referencing Warren's ad as well as former Vice President Joe Biden's recent request that Facebook remove a dishonest Trump campaign ad.
Despite the criticism, Facebook has doubled down on its political advertising policy. In a statement Friday responding to Warren's ad, Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone told CNN that "if Senator Warren wants to say things she knows to be untrue, we believe Facebook should not be in the position of censoring that speech."
This is far from the first time Warren has publicly faced off against the social media giant. One of her many plans for the 2020 race calls for breaking up Big Tech companies. That proposal, unveiled in March, received renewed attention earlier this month after audio leaked from an internal Facebook meeting at which Zuckerberg vowed to "fight" against it if Warren wins the White House.
Warren, in response to Zuckerberg's remarks about her plan and potential presidency, said that "I'm not afraid to hold Big Tech companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon accountable. It's time to #BreakUpBigTech."
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