George Soros: Mark Zuckerberg should not be in control of Facebook

According to George Soros, Mark Zuckerberg and President Donald Trump’s interests are aligned and Trump winning re-election in 2020 would actually help Facebook.

"At a dinner last week in Davos, Switzerland, I was asked if I thought Facebook was behaving more responsibly today than it did during the 2016 presidential election.

'Not at all,' I answered. 'Facebook helped Trump to get elected and I am afraid that it will do the same in 2020.' I explained that there is a longstanding law — Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act — that protects social media platforms from legal liability for defamation and similar claims. Facebook can post deliberately misleading or false statements by candidates for public office and others, and take no responsibility for them.

I went on to say that there appears to be 'an informal mutual assistance operation or agreement developing between Trump and Facebook' in which Facebook will help President Trump to get re-elected and Mr. Trump will, in turn, defend Facebook against attacks from regulators and the media."

"The responsible approach is self-evident. Facebook is a publisher not just a neutral moderator or 'platform.' It should be held accountable for the content that appears on its site.

Speaking at a cocktail party in Davos on Jan. 22, Facebook’s chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, repeated the worn Silicon Valley cliché that Facebook is trying to make the world a better place. But 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. One way or another, they should not be left in control of Facebook."

Source:
The New York Times (full article)