Stephen King quits Facebook over 'flood of false information,' but is Twitter more 'truth-loving' for him?
Stephen King has announced that he is shutting down his Facebook account, purportedly because the platform is awash with disinformation. The social media giant has come under fire for its unwillingness to police political ads.
The famed horror writer said that his departure was motivated by the "flood of false information that's allowed in its political advertising," as well as a lack of confidence in the company's ability to protect its users' privacy. The good news is that you can still follow him on Twitter, he wrote in a Twitter post.
I'm quitting Facebook. Not comfortable with the flood of false information that's allowed in its political advertising, nor am I confident in its ability to protect its users' privacy. Follow me (and Molly, aka The Thing of Evil) on Twitter, if you like.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) February 1, 2020
King's exit from Facebook comes several weeks after the outspoken liberal was bombarded by woke outrage on social media, following his rather benign remark suggesting that diversity should not take precedence over quality in art.
Whatever his true motivation for leaving Facebook may be, King isn't alone in his disgust for the social media giant. The company came under fire in January after it disclosed that it would not fact-check political ads, nor screen them for language that violates the site's speech policies. The hands-off approach to microtargeted ads has sparked accusations that Facebook is somehow going to sabotage the 2020 presidential election.
In contrast to Facebook's policy, Twitter has banned all political ads on its platform, and even forbids sponsored content that advocates for social causes. However, the policy has a sizeable exemption for "news publishers" who can run ads referencing "political content and/or prohibited advertisers," so long as there is no advocacy for or against.
Also on rt.com Just (MSM-approved) facts, ma’am! Response to FB’s political ad decision shows ‘media literacy’ was just cover for thought-policeTwitter CEO Jack Dorsey argued that "political message reach should be earned, not bought," but many believe that the company does not allow a level playing field when it comes to "reach." Twitter has been repeatedly accused of silencing conservative voices on its platform, as well as selectively enforcing rules to suit the company's left-leaning views.
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