Zuckerberg says he will fight any Facebook breakup
October 2, 2019
Facebook's CEO has said that while fighting a government-led breakup of the social media giant would "suck," he expects to win any legal battle. US lawmakers have been calling for stricter oversight and accountability.
Image: Reuters/A. Drago
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Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg told employees he will "go to the mat" to prevent any government break-up of the social media giant, as it faces an US anti-trust investigation andcalls from lawmakers for more oversight.
Zuckerberg made the commentsduring a meeting in July, and a leaked audio recording of it was published Tuesday on tech website The Verge.
In the recording, Zuckerberg specifically mentions a plan to break up Facebook by Democratic presidential candidate and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Warren is a vocal critic of Facebook's market dominance and has announced a plan to "break up big tech," which would "undo illegal and anti-competitive mergers" and compel tech companies to "compete with each other to make a better product."
"If she [Warren] gets elected president, then I would bet that we will have a legal challenge, and I would bet that we will win the legal challenge," Zuckerberg said.
"And does that still suck for us? Yeah. I mean, I don't want to have a major lawsuit against our own government," said Zuckerberg.
"At the end of the day, if someone's going to try to threaten something that existential, you go to the mat and you fight."
After Zuckerberg's comments were leaked, Warren promptly responded on Twitter.
"What would really 'suck' is if we don't fix a corrupt system that lets giant companies like Facebook engage in illegal anti-competitive practices, [and] stomp on consumer privacy rights."
More accountability for Facebook
Regulators around the world are scrutinizing Facebook over data sharing and allowing the spread of misinformation leading to election interference.
In the leaked audio, Zuckerberg said that breaking up big tech companies would likely lead to more election interference because "companies can't coordinate and work together."
However, Zuckerberg's assertion is unlikely to convince detractors like Warren.
"More than 85% of all social networking traffic goes through sites owned or operated by Facebook," she wrote. "They've got a lot of power— and face little competition or accountability," said the US Senator.
"They've bulldozed competition, used our private information for profit, undermined our democracy, and tilted the playing field against everyone else."
Zuckerberg addressed the leak on his Facebook page, saying the comments came from a weekly "ask me anything" session and posted the transcript with his "unfiltered" thoughts including on "doing the right thing over the long term."
Fighting for the internet: Social media, governments and tech companies
Germany has passed a new law on social media in 2017, despite complaints from social media companies worried about the impact on their business. But how far is too far? DW examines the trends.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Kastl
Free speech or illegal content?
Whether hate speech, propaganda or activism, governments across the globe have upped efforts to curb content deemed illegal from circulating on social networks. From drawn-out court cases to blanket bans, DW examines how some countries try to stop the circulation of illicit content while others attempt to regulate social media.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Kastl
Social media law
After a public debate in Germany, a new law on social media came into effect in October. The legislation imposes heavy fines on social media companies, such as Facebook, for failing to take down posts containing hate speech. Facebook and other social media companies have complained about the law, saying that harsh rules might lead to unnecessary censorship.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Hase
Right to be forgotten
In 2014, the European Court of Justice ruled that European citizens had the right to request search engines, such as Google and Bing, remove "inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant or excessive" search results linked to their name. Although Google has complied with the ruling, it has done so reluctantly, warning that it could make the internet as "free as the world's least free place."
Image: picture-alliance/ROPI/Eidon/Scavuzzo
Blanket ban
In May 2017, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Russian social media platforms and web services. The blanket ban affected millions of Ukrainian citizens, many of whom were anxious about their data. The move prompted young Ukrainians to protest on the streets, calling for the government to reinstate access to platforms that included VKontakte (VK), Russia's largest social network.
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/Str
Safe Harbor
In 2015, the European Court of Justice ruled that Safe Harbor, a 15-year-old pact between the US and EU that allowed the transfer of personal data without prior approval, was effectively invalid. Austrian law student Max Schrems launched the legal proceedings against Facebook in response to revelations made by former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, Edward Snowden.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Warnand
Regulation
In China, the use of social media is highly regulated by the government. Beijing has effectively blocked access to thousands of websites and platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Instead, China offers its citizens access to local social media platforms, such as Weibo and WeChat, which boast hundreds of millions of monthly users.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Imaginechina/Da Qing
Twitter bans Russia-linked accounts
Many politicians and media outlets blame Russia's influence for Donald Trump's election victory in 2016. Moscow reportedly used Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Instagram to shape public opinion on key issues. In October 2017, Twitter suspended over 2,750 accounts due to alleged Russian propaganda. The platform also banned ads from RT (formerly Russia Today) and the Sputnik news agency.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Rourke
Facebook announces propaganda-linked tool
With social media under pressure for allowing alleged Russian meddling, Facebook announced a new project to combat such efforts in November 2017. The upcoming page will give users a chance to check if they "liked" or followed an alleged propaganda account on Facebook or Instagram. Meanwhile, Facebook has come under fire for not protecting user data in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
