It is the nature of networks to reward scale, and it is not clear how a company like Facebook could be broken up. But we need to recognize that while digital discourse must be curated by the private companies that host it, such power cannot be exercised safely unless it is dispersed in a competitive marketplace.
STANFORD – In October, a confrontation erupted between one of the leading Democratic candidates for the US presidency, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Warren had called for a breakup of Facebook, and Zuckerberg said in an internal speech that this represented an “existential” threat to his company. Facebook was then criticized for running an ad by President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign that carried a manifestly false claim charging former Vice President Joe Biden, another leading Democrat contender, with corruption. Warren trolled the company by placing her own deliberately false ad.
STANFORD – In October, a confrontation erupted between one of the leading Democratic candidates for the US presidency, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Warren had called for a breakup of Facebook, and Zuckerberg said in an internal speech that this represented an “existential” threat to his company. Facebook was then criticized for running an ad by President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign that carried a manifestly false claim charging former Vice President Joe Biden, another leading Democrat contender, with corruption. Warren trolled the company by placing her own deliberately false ad.