The backlash Facebook has received from the left over its election ads policy has been overwhelming.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) gave her stamp of approval to the internal liberal protest from Facebook employees over the company’s decision to leave political ads untouched. A letter, written by unnamed employees, read, “We strongly object to this policy as it stands. It doesn’t protect voices, but instead allows politicians to weaponize our platform by targeting people who believe that content posted by political figures is trustworthy.”
Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, “Courageous workers at Facebook are now standing up to the corporation’s leadership, challenging Zuckerberg’s disturbing policy on allowing paid, targeted disinformation ads in the 2020 election.”
The letter claimed, “Misinformation affects us all. Our current policies … are a threat to what FB stands for.” Some of the solutions offered to change the policy included a proposed cap on “high profile politicians” who “out-spend new voices and drown out the competition.”
President Trump has spent more than any other politician on Facebook ads. His total was at $20.3 million as of Oct. 8, according to Fast Company.
Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that Facebook was making “active & aggressive decisions that imperil our elections.” Other Democrats, including Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and former Vice President Joe Biden, have requested that Facebook take down various Trump ads, particularly those that attack Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, as part of the alleged Ukraine scandal.
Certain Facebook executives, including Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, have expressed their frustration with Facebook’s ad policy. Mosseri responded to a tweet from Star Trek actor George Takei that suggested that Takei would run an ad claiming “a tortured Mike Pence has finally come out.” Mosseri liked the tweet and responded with an emoji.
Facebook responded to the letter, according to Axios, saying, “Facebook's culture is built on openness so we appreciate our employees voicing their thoughts on this important topic. We remain committed to not censoring political speech, and will continue exploring additional steps we can take to bring increased transparency to political ads."
