Banning political ads isn’t going to fix anything. Tell Facebook to immediately shut down its democracy-killing algorithm

Facebook

Facebook has come under fire from all sides for being a cesspool that silences many people’s opinions while amplifying the absolute worst content on the Internet––in a never ending quest for “engagement” (translation: advertising dollars.)

But now, instead of taking steps to address the clear harms being done by their manipulative, surveillance-driven business model, Facebook is doubling down. The company is trying to score points by performatively banning political advertising after the election, but meanwhile they just announced a major change to their recommendation algorithm that will make the site even more toxic and ruin one of the last parts of it that are still actually kind of useful: Facebook groups.

Under the new change, instead of just seeing groups that you’ve signed up for in your feed, you’ll see content from the groups that Facebook wants you to see. They’ll be shoving stuff down your throat, trying to get you to click, comment, argue, and keep scrolling.

The result is that Facebook groups that were previously useful places for discussion, sharing memes, and connecting with your neighbors will be flooded with trolls. And harmful groups pushing bigotry or misinformation will grow exponentially faster, their recruitment efforts supercharged by Facebook putting its thumb on the scale. This makes an existing problem worse. A report from the Wall Street Journal showed that Facebook’s recommendation algorithm was responsible for more than 64% of joins to violent hate groups.

The problem with Facebook is not free speech, it’s that the company is a monopoly that has amassed far too much power to influence public opinion. It’s the algorithm that uses our own data to manipulate us and artificially amplify the content Facebook decides we should see. This latest change affects everyone, whether you have a Facebook account or not.

Sign the petition to tell Facebook: “Turning on algorithmic amplification for Facebook group posts will make the site more toxic and less usable while endangering democracy and human rights. Reverse this decision immediately. Show us posts from the groups we sign up for, not the ones Facebook wants us to see.”


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To: Facebook
From: [Your Name]

Turning on algorithmic amplification for Facebook group posts will make the site more toxic and less usable while endangering democracy and human rights. Reverse this decision immediately. Show us posts from the groups we sign up for, not the ones Facebook wants us to see.