Zuckerberg makes 'fixing' Facebook a personal goal
January 4, 2018
Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has set his New Year resolution as fixing the company he co-founded. Last year was not the best for the social network company, with technical, political and moral issues raised.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Nietfeld
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Zuckerberg wrote on Thursday that he wants to focus on protecting Facebook users from abuse, defend against interference by nation-states and "making sure that time spent on Facebook is time well spent."
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.
Image: picture alliance/NurPhoto/J. Arriens
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"The world feels anxious and divided, and Facebook has a lot of work to do," Zuckerberg wrote in the post.
He wrote that his "personal challenge for 2018 is to focus on fixing these important issues," adding that the pledge "may not seem like a personal challenge on its face." He did not elaborate on how he would improve the social network, which has recently come under fire for allowing the rampant spread of false information.
"We won't prevent all mistakes or abuse, but we currently make too many errors enforcing our policies and preventing misuse of our tools," Zuckerberg wrote.
Zuckerberg, 33, said Facebook was standing at a crossroads that required his attention, citing the spread of hate speech on social media and criticism that the platform can be an addictive and a waste of time.
"Back in the 1990s and 2000s, most people believed technology would be a decentralizing force,” Zuckerberg wrote. "But today, many people have lost faith in that promise. With the rise of a small number of big tech companies — and governments using technology to watch their citizens — many people now believe technology only centralizes power rather than decentralizes it."
The company, as well as Google and Twitter, faced a series of congressional hearings to testify on Russian election interference as a result and Facebook was obliged to hand over several thousand Russia-linked ads.
Another issue is removing hate speech posted to the network. A new law in Germany, for example, obliges social networks to remove online hate speech or face stiff fines.
Ex-Facebook executives have also publicly questioned whether using the network leads to unhealthy behaviors.
Skepticism lingers
Facebook's past attempts to curb abuse have been widely criticized.
In December 2016, it rolled out tools enabling users to report posts they believed were fake and partnered with independent fact-checking organizations, such as Snopes and PolitiFact, who later reportedly claimed their work had been exploited to improve Facebook's image.
The social network reported $16 billion (€14.2 billion) in net income on $36 billion sales during the 12 months ending on September 30.
