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Facebook employees revolt at its posting policy

Facebook employees revolt at its posting policy

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The world’s biggest social network has drawn the displeasure of its staff over its posting policy – with a number of workers proposing a virtual walkout over CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s refusal to take action over a post by US president Donald Trump.

Disagreement on his stance came from employees across all levels of the company, including some senior staff, it was reported in The Guardian.

Particular criticism was directed at Zuckerberg’s decision to leave up the Facebook version of a tweet sent by Trump in which the president appeared to encourage police to shoot rioters (“When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” read the quote). 

By contrast, Twitter removed the message from plain sight and placed it behind a warning.

“Personally, I have a visceral negative reaction to this kind of divisive and inflammatory rhetoric,” Zuckerberg said last Friday.

“I disagree strongly with how the president spoke about this, but I believe people should be able to see this for themselves, because ultimately accountability for those in positions of power can only happen when their speech is scrutinised out in the open,” he added.

To be fair, he has a point. But it has nonetheless drawn the ire of a significant number of Facebook employees, some prominent.

“Mark is wrong, and I will endeavour in the loudest possible way to change his mind,” said Ryan Freitas, director of product design for Facebook’s newsfeed.

While Andrew Crow, head of design for the company’s portal video-phone, posted in a tweet: “Giving a platform to incite violence and spread disinformation is unacceptable, regardless who you are or if it’s newsworthy. I disagree with Mark’s position and will work to make change happen.”

Image courtesy of The Guardian

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