Senator previously raised concerns about the dangers that
Facebook’s group recommendation systems pose and urged Mark Zuckerberg to stop
this practice
Washington
(January 28, 2021) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the
Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, released the following
statement after Facebook announced that it will permanently stop recommending
political groups to its users. This week, Senator Markey
wrote
to Mr. Zuckerberg demanding an explanation for that apparent inconsistency
after the CEO committed to Senator Markey in an October 2020 hearing that
Facebook would stop recommending political groups to its users.
“I
am pleased to see that Facebook is heeding my calls and has pledged to
permanently stop recommending political groups to its users, as a matter of
policy,” said Senator Markey. “Frankly, though, Facebook has a record
of broken promises, and I’ll be watching closely to see whether it keeps this
commitment.
“It’s
clear that Facebook groups have become online spaces that foster political
violence and serve as venues for misinformation that sows unrest. Given what we
know about the real world harms that social media platforms’ recommendation algorithms
can foster, it’s time for significant changes to these websites’ systems.”
At a
hearing before the Committee on October 28, 2020, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg
told Senator Markey that Facebook no longer recommended political groups.
However, media reports reveal that Facebook continued to recommend political
groups that promoted violence, targeted elected officials, and supported
insurrection after Mr. Zuckerberg made his commitment.
