Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook CEO) at Georgetown this week took to the stage to defend freedom of expression. Lately, Facebook has been condemned for letting politicians to post deceptive ads. But Zuckerberg is asking for more free speech and warned against “possibly slaughtering down too much” on social media platforms.
In a statement with the media, Zuckerberg claims he too is concerned “about a corrosion of truth.” But, he claimed, “I do not think people wish to reside in a place where you can only express things that tech firms decide are entirely true.”
Questioning the practices and policies of Facebook is nothing new, but the frightening 2020 election has put the firm below elevated probe. When it comes to eliminating content—like the ad by Trump campaign about the Bidens that made statements about their connections to Ukraine—Zuckerberg claimed to the media, “These are very complicated problems, and overall, unless it is completely clear what to do, I think you need to side the greater expression.”
And speaking of deep fakes, which a number of users fear might weaken the 2020 election, Zuckerberg claimed that Facebook is “getting pretty near to at least launching out the first edition” of its policy. While the firm has a lots of work to do, Zuckerberg claims Facebook is quite set now.
On a related note, this week, Zuckerberg will appear in front of the Financial Services Committee, where he is anticipated to be grilled about the planned cryptocurrency of Facebook Libra and Calibra (the digital wallet). Before this week’s inquisition, Facebook has shared the prepared statement of Zuckerberg. In it, Zuckerberg confesses that Facebook is “not the perfect messenger currently” and pledges that Facebook will not go forward with Libra wherever in the world till the regulators in the US give green signal. As per Zuckerberg, Facebook is “promised to take the time to set this correct.”