Statements
2020

Statement on Chan and Zuckerberg Election Investment

For Immediate Release
September 1, 2020
Contact: press@accountabletech.org

 

Accountable Tech Executive Director Nicole Gill released the following statement Tuesday in response to the announcement that Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg are investing $300 million in election infrastructure:

“Needless to say, this is a significant financial commitment to help state and local officials administer safe and secure elections amid unprecedented challenges, and we applaud that investment. But let’s be clear: There’s not enough money in the world to paper over the damage Facebook has done to democracy.

We’ve seen this ploy time and time again. Facebook donates to Black-owned businesses instead of addressing rampant racism on the platform. They give grants to support local journalism while destroying the industry. They tout investments in their fact-checking program – but give politicians free rein to spew dangerous lies – and in their Oversight Board, which remains inoperative as the platform is weaponized by militias, extremists, and authoritarians.

Mark Zuckerberg needs to stop treating every Facebook crisis as a PR problem to throw money at, and start treating the systemic ailments that fuel them.”

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