In June of last yr , Facebook announced its latest effort to reserve itself accountable and be more transparent . Called “ Hard Questions , ” the series of blog posts are signify to illuminate users about where the social internet stands on some of the thornier result facing the societal electronic internet . But how hard can a dubiousness really be when you get to both hand - select it and take as much clock time as you ’d wish to formulate a response ? The answer to that interrogation is : not all that hard .
At face value , some of the Hard Questions posed by Facebook over the last several months do come along to tackle some contentious subjects . Facebook ’s first post of the series—“How We Counter Terrorism”—first outlined the ways in which the social web uses stilted intelligence agency to crusade terrorist act on the platform . While informative , detailing how the company identifies dangerous content is arguably not operose — it ’s just transparent .
The first hard dubiousness was also … not a doubt . And that ’s not uncommon . A few Hard Questions let in : “ More on Russian Ads , ” “ Russian Ads Delivered to Congress , ” “ Social Media and Democracy , ” and “ Update on Cambridge Analytica , ” to name just a few . All of these are important issue to undertake , but to frame them as both hard and as a question is shoddy . What most of these blog posts roil down to are carefully worded press release .
And rarely do they get in front of a malicious gossip . Most of them are write conveniently succeed some sort of public recoil . “ So Your Kyd Are Online , But Will They Be Alright ? ” was put up a few weeks after former Facebook president Sean Parker voiced his concern about the consequences of the social connection he himself help build . “ God only knows what it ’s doing to our children ’s brains , ” Parkertold an audienceat an Axios consequence . “ Is pass Time on Social Media Bad for Us ? ” was post a few days after Facebook ’s former vice President of the United States of user growing , Chamath Palihapitiya , made headlinesfor telling a Stanford audience , “ I think we have make tool that are rip apart the social fabric of how society works . ” The last four Hard Questions , published between March 21st and Monday , all address concerns over invasions of privateness , specifically with regards to user datum and the manipulation of user during elections — that is , the leading offense provoke Facebook amid theCambridge Analytica scandalandMark Zuckerberg ’s congressional hearings .
I ’m not argue that these posts are not valuable or that they are inherently unfit . Any transparency and culpability is meaningful , especially from a company that has fail so imposingly at protecting the privacy of its user . But it ’s laughable to characterize these posts as “ voiceless question ” when so many of them are rove out to shrive the company of poor demeanor already ready headlines .
Here are some truly hard questions we ’d like some answer to : When was the first clock time Mark Zuckerberg had a suspicion his platform was being used for foreign election interference ? For psychological manipulation ? If there was heavy grounds evoke the world would be a better place without Facebook , would you shutter the overhaul ? Also , whydry toast ?
Luckily , Facebook ’s line is receptive : you may charge your own suggestions to[email protect ] . Or you’re able to justgive them to usand we ’ll check that they make it to the good place .
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