‘Mark alone can decide how to configure Facebook’s algorithms to determine what people see in their News Feeds, what privacy settings they can use and even which messages get delivered. He sets the rules for how to distinguish violent and incendiary speech from the merely offensive, and he can choose to shut down a competitor by acquiring, blocking or copying it.’
Hughes says that 84% of spending on social media adverts goes straight to Facebook and notes that no rival social networks (that pose any kind of challenge) have been launched since 2011.
This is the latest in a long line of criticisms handed out to Facebook over the last couple of years as it continues to blunder over privacy and data collection. The FTC is likely to hand out a $5 billion fine to Facebook in the coming days but Hughes and others don’t feel it goes far enough.
Mark Zuckerberg himself has previously written that the rules for the internet need to be updated and has promised to make Facebook more responsible in the future.
But Hughes’ words – which are well worth a read if you have time – suggests the decision should be taken out of his hands completely.
Source: Read Full Article