Facebook has decided on a novel strategy to try and get back in Joe Biden's good graces (and hopefully stave off a heavy-handed antitrust crackdown): brainwash convince its 2 billion users that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, while also promoting content about the Paris Climate Accords, especially arguments about the US rejoining the agreement.
Part of the company's strategy, as we've noted before, is to elevate the status of Nick Clegg, a former deputy PM from the UK who already has a close relationship with Biden (who served as VP in the US for part of Clegg's time in the highest echelons of British government).
But will this be enough to salve the fury of progressive Democrats who accuse Facebook of failing to safeguard American Democracy by allowing too many conservative voices to flourish on its platform. Progressives have accused Facebook of allowing hate speech and Russian propaganda to flourish, with little in the way of actual evidence (though every once in a while progressive journalists will find a 'white supremacist' group whose Facebook page hasn't yet been taken down). In reality, Dems are angry that the most popular Facebook pages belong to Ben Shapiro and Dan Bongino, two conservative pundits with more reach than some of the biggest "mainstream" media companies (like the NYT).
According to the FT, Facebook's most immediate goal is to try and secure a 'hearing' with Biden and his top policy team (which, to be sure, includes many Silicon Valley stalwarts who are sympathetic to Facebook's corporate aims).
Read the full article here.
