Mark Zuckerberg sat before Congress in order to address several accusations surrounding Facebook. The first involves allowing hate speech spread through advertisements. Zuckerberg said that Facebook does have systems in place to counteract the spread of white supremacy and other types of hate speech, and it is actively trying to find new ways to solve this issue. Facebook was also criticized for hosting political ads and supporting politicians that communicate disinformation. He also said that he did not believe that it was Facebook’s job to control what politicians were allowed to say.
Another big issue Facebook had to address was about its upcoming money sharing program, Libra, which is intended to be an opportunity for those who have been unable to share money across national borders and to do so easily and inexpensively. The concern with Libra is that it may try to compete with the currency of nations around the world. Zuckerberg says this is not the case and that Libra plans to back up its transactions with a sovereign currency.
Another topic discussed during the meeting with Congress was the platform’s messaging system and the way information is processed through it. There has been controversy around the app because child predators have used it to come into contact with children and exchange explicit photographs with them. Facebook has recently changed the way its app works and, in the process, has made it harder for law officers to track criminals.
Facebook is trying to amend the issues that the platform is facing while also trying to go forward with Libra. The biggest question is whether or not Zuckerberg can get Libra past the US government.
Jacob Duncan - Contributing Writer