Facebook Employees Speak Out: Mark Zuckerberg Should Censor Trump

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is facing criticism from employees for failing to censor comments made on the platform by President Donald Trump. Ryan Freitas, a director of product design for the Facebook News Feed, says: “Mark is wrong, and I will endeavor in the loudest possible way to change his mind.”

Reuters reports that Facebook employees angered by CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s ruling to leave comments made by President Trump on the platform took to Twitter over the weekend to express their dissatisfaction with Mark Zuckerberg’s refusal to censor the president. Many employees praised Twitter for taking action on President Trump’s recent tweets which prompted a recent executive order on social media.

One Facebook executive name Ryan Freitas, a director of product design for Facebook’s News Feed, stated in a tweet that “Mark [Zuckerberg] is wrong,” adding that he had mobilized “50+ likeminded folks” to lobby for change at Facebook internally.

Mark is wrong, and I will endeavor in the loudest possible way to change his mind.

— Ryan Freitas (@ryanchris) June 1, 2020

I apologize if you were waiting for me to have some sort of external opinion. I focused on organizing 50+ likeminded folks into something that looks like internal change.

— Ryan Freitas (@ryanchris) June 1, 2020

Another employee, Nate Butler, who is listed as working in the Facebook Design department, tweeted that “FB is on the wrong side of this,” and added that “doing nothing isn’t being bold.”

I've shared others posts, but I need to be clear–FB is on the wrong side of this and I can't support their stance. Doing nothing isn't Being Bold. Many of us feel this way.

— Nate Butler (@iamnbutler) June 1, 2020

Jason Toff, a Facebook director of product management, added:  “I work at Facebook and I am not proud of how we’re showing up. The majority of coworkers I’ve spoken to feel the same way. We are making our voice heard.”

I work at Facebook and I am not proud of how we’re showing up. The majority of coworkers I’ve spoken to feel the same way. We are making our voice heard.

— Jason Toff (@jasontoff) June 1, 2020

On Friday, Twitter censored a tweet from President Trump in which he addressed violent protesters stating, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” behind a warning label noting that the tweet violated Twitter’s rules relating to “glorifying violence.”

Facebook declined to censor the same message, with Zcuerkebrg stating in a post that while he found the message “deeply offensive,” the company had determined that it did not violate its policy against “incitements to violence.”

Zuckerberg’s post on the issue can be found below:

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com