Facebook is facing serious scrutiny after their decision to suspend former president Donald Trump from their platform until 2023.
Facebook's move is stirring up debate about whether the social media giant has become too powerful and needs to be broken up. According to Pew Research, around seven-in-ten American adults use the site, and more than a third say they get their news from Facebook. Social media strategist Kami Huyse, the CEO of Zoetica Media, says the scrutiny is justified.
“They are a private company, so that’s going to be the key. We do need to have some clear guidelines at the federal level, I think, in order for these companies to be able to do the right thing,” Huyse said. “They’re going to do what’s best for their business.”
Many Republicans still accuse the site of censoring conservative viewpoints. Others say Facebook can't be trusted because of their sharing private data.
“There’s more and more pressure, I think, from the general public to tell these companies ‘Hey we need to have this changed’. And that’s why companies like Apple are taking way their data,” Huyse explained. “Apple is now letting people opt out of their data being shared with properties like Facebook.”
Facebook executives say they are clamping down on “disinformation”. However, about six-in-ten adults still distrust the site as a place to get reliable news.