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Facebook's Zuckerberg will not appear before British MPs

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Facebook's Zuckerberg will not appear before British MPs

#61

Post by darepublic »

alistairSH wrote: post #33
Milner08 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What on earth does their stance on Brexit have to do with there position in the select committee?!

Brexit is relevant, because like the election of Trump, it appears nefarious actors (likely Russians in both cases) used Facebook to drive votes in a particular direction (pro-Trump, pro-Brexit).

Some people posted fake content on Facebook? And that is responsible for the election of Trump and Brexit? If you actually believe that there's some pop up internet ads I have ready for you...

Re: Facebook's Zuckerberg will not appear before British MPs

#63

Post by anonu »

headmelted wrote: post #39
hanoz wrote: post #28

This was obviously never going to happen and is absolutely the right decision for Zuckerberg and Facebook. House of Commons select committees bagging a big scalp invariably turn into show trials, with MPs possessing a completely deluded sense of their own insight into a subject queuing up to play to the cameras. The spectacle of having Zuckerberg there would have been absolutely excruciating. So, much as I'd like to…

Everything you've said is utterly accurate and yet I still think this is a terrible decision. We'll have to witness some hapless middle-manager undergo the same circus, but with every new person to speak we'll have a customary "I simply cannot believe Mr. Zuckerberg did not think it was important for him to be here in person!". Having a fall guy give terrible answers looks worse than him giving terrible answers. At t…

I'm old enough to remember the 1993 Jack in the Box e. coli outbreak... and then fast-forward to Chipotle's 2015 handling of the same thing. The responses between then and now were staggering differently. Back then it was "deny, deny, deny". In today's PR conscious world - for better or worse - the people expect an immediate confession from the very top.

Given's FB's breadth and depth of exposure to many people's lives, I would expect no less than to see Zuck fielding questions in front of the cameras. It will certainly be a circus and many people will tune in to watch - but if handled correctly can bring an enormous amount of goodwill back to FB - which it desperately needs right now.

Re: Facebook's Zuckerberg will not appear before British MPs

#64

Post by kazen44 »

Silhouette wrote: post #2

Not a complete surprise, but I suspect this is a strategic mistake from Zuckerberg. It's going to send the wrong message, at a time when Facebook is already under pressure and regulators in the EU are about to be given the most powerful privacy tools (and the most heavy penalty regime) they've ever had to work with.

I wonder if regulators will just decide the split up facebook.

It would take a ton of leverage and political goodwill across both the EU and the US, but i have no doubt it could happen.

Re: Facebook's Zuckerberg will not appear before British MPs

#65

Post by andyjohnson0 »

headmelted wrote: post #39
hanoz wrote: post #28

This was obviously never going to happen and is absolutely the right decision for Zuckerberg and Facebook. House of Commons select committees bagging a big scalp invariably turn into show trials, with MPs possessing a completely deluded sense of their own insight into a subject queuing up to play to the cameras. The spectacle of having Zuckerberg there would have been absolutely excruciating. So, much as I'd like to…

Everything you've said is utterly accurate and yet I still think this is a terrible decision. We'll have to witness some hapless middle-manager undergo the same circus, but with every new person to speak we'll have a customary "I simply cannot believe Mr. Zuckerberg did not think it was important for him to be here in person!". Having a fall guy give terrible answers looks worse than him giving terrible answers. At t…

> We'll have to witness some hapless middle-manager undergo the same circus

According to The Guardian, Facebook said that "the company would be putting forward its chief technology officer, Mike Schroepfer, or its chief product officer, Chris Cox."

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/27/facebook-...

Re: Facebook's Zuckerberg will not appear before British MPs

#66

Post by nealdt »

Aside from everything, I find it remarkable that the media are gunning for facebook right now (referencing all those shady algorithms / shady partnerships etc etc) to the extent that facebook is a 'dirty word' and yet the newspapers are evidently quite happy to accept payment for full page ads in their publications from ... facebook.

Re: Facebook's Zuckerberg will not appear before British MPs

#67

Post by noir-york »

bambataa wrote: post #56
noir-york wrote: post #52

No representation without taxation. Why should Facebook send Zuckerberg when Facebook paid a grand total of £2.6 million taxes to the UK in 2017. If the British parliament wants Zuckerberg to attend, make the UK relevant to Facebook. Tax it. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/04/facebook-...

Did you read the linked article? Facebook deliberately structure their operations to try and avoid paying UK tax. So it seems odd to then cite that as a reason for him not attending.

Yes, of course I read the article. If there was political will, Facebook would pay taxes in the UK.

The article I linked to in my comment showed that FBK paid (slightly) more taxes in 2017 than in 2016 following a public outcry.

Political pressure and HMRC's best and brightest could surely find ways to make Facebook pay a just level of taxes.

Re: Facebook's Zuckerberg will not appear before British MPs

#68

Post by Veen »

darepublic wrote: post #61
alistairSH wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Brexit is relevant, because like the election of Trump, it appears nefarious actors (likely Russians in both cases) used Facebook to drive votes in a particular direction (pro-Trump, pro-Brexit).

Some people posted fake content on Facebook? And that is responsible for the election of Trump and Brexit? If you actually believe that there's some pop up internet ads I have ready for you...

Not so long ago, Zuckerberg said it was "crazy" to think that Facebook influenced the US election. I don't think he's quite so confident of that today.

Re: Facebook's Zuckerberg will not appear before British MPs

#69

Post by nealdt »

hanoz wrote: post #28

This was obviously never going to happen and is absolutely the right decision for Zuckerberg and Facebook. House of Commons select committees bagging a big scalp invariably turn into show trials, with MPs possessing a completely deluded sense of their own insight into a subject queuing up to play to the cameras. The spectacle of having Zuckerberg there would have been absolutely excruciating. So, much as I'd like to…

I am sure certain members of the Gov won't forget the lack of his appearance (and the impression it gives) so who knows if it was a good business decision or not, down the line.

Re: Facebook's Zuckerberg will not appear before British MPs

#70

Post by darepublic »

Veen wrote: post #68
darepublic wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people posted fake content on Facebook? And that is responsible for the election of Trump and Brexit? If you actually believe that there's some pop up internet ads I have ready for you...

Not so long ago, Zuckerberg said it was "crazy" to think that Facebook influenced the US election. I don't think he's quite so confident of that today.

Zuck could be "persuaded" of anything I'm sure to placate the scapegoating whiners of the western world. The thing is if you're vacuous enough to invest a lot of yourself on fb you are equally vacuous to join the pitchfork mobs at the prompting of mass media.
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