Zuckerberg addresses concerns about politically-divisive content on Facebook
Facebook is paying some of its app and Instagram users to deactivate their accounts, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg addresses concerns about political content on the site; Griff Jenkins reports.
Sacha Baron Cohen took a shot at Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Fox News on Saturday projected Joe Biden to be the 46th president of the United States and the “Borat 2” actor tweeted an image of Zuckerberg alongside President Trump captioned, “One down. One to go.”
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It’s not the first time Cohen went after Zuckerberg or Big Tech in general.
Last year, Cohen blasted Big Tech for being the "greatest propaganda machine ever" during a fiery speech given at the Anti-Defamation League's Never Is Now Summit on Anti-Semitism and Hate in New York City.
Cohen said that demagogues and autocracy, as well as hate crimes against minorities, are surging -- and he put the blame squarely on Silicon Valley.
Sacha Baron Cohen took a shot at Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)
"All this hate and violence is being facilitated by a handful of internet companies that amount to the greatest propaganda machine in history," Cohen, who received the ADL's International Leadership Award, said. "The algorithms these platforms depend on deliberately amplify the type of content that keeps users engaged—stories that appeal to our baser instincts and that trigger outrage and fear."
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The comedian -- citing the rise of fake news, the viral spread of conspiracy theories on YouTube, the ability of platforms to erase distinctions between news outlets, and the ways in which conspiracy-minded thinking can lead to real-world violence -- didn't hold back.
He singled out Zuckerberg, slamming the mogul's defense of the tech company's policies as a matter "free expression” as "utter nonsense."
"The First Amendment says that 'Congress shall make no law' abridging freedom of speech, however, this does not apply to private businesses like Facebook," Cohen said in his remarks. "We’re not asking these companies to determine the boundaries of free speech across society. We just want them to be responsible on their platforms."
He also hit Zuckerberg over comments on a podcast last year about Holocaust denial, which were widely criticized. Zuckerberg said denying the Holocaust is "deeply offensive," but that he didn't believe Facebook "should take that down because I think there are things that different people get wrong.”
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A Facebook spokesperson provided Fox News with the following statement following Cohen’s 2019 speech:
"Sacha Baron Cohen misrepresented Facebook’s policies. Hate speech is actually banned on our platform. We ban people who advocate for violence and we remove anyone who praises or supports it. Nobody – including politicians – can advocate or advertise hate, violence or mass murder on Facebook.”
Based on Cohen’s recent tweet, it seems he’s still upset with Zuckerberg almost a year after his speech.
Fox News’ Christopher Carbone contributed to this report.
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