Criticism of Facebook

This article is part of a series about
Meta Platforms
Products and services
Facebook
Other products
People
Executives and board members
Notable employees
Related organizations
Business
Criticism
Litigation
Related

Facebook (and parent company Meta Platforms) has been the subject of criticism and legal action since it was founded in 2004.[1] Criticisms include the outsize influence Facebook has on the lives and health of its users and employees, as well as Facebook's influence on the way media, specifically news, is reported and distributed. Notable issues include Internet privacy, such as use of a widespread "like" button on third-party websites tracking users,[2][3] possible indefinite records of user information,[4] automatic facial recognition software,[5][6] and its role in the workplace, including employer-employee account disclosure.[7] The use of Facebook can have negative psychological and physiological effects[8] that include feelings of sexual jealousy,[9][10] stress,[11][12] lack of attention,[13] and social media addiction that in some cases is comparable to drug addiction.[14][15]

Facebook's operations have also received coverage. The company's electricity usage,[16] tax avoidance,[17] real-name user requirement policies,[18] censorship policies,[19][20] handling of user data,[21] and its involvement in the United States PRISM surveillance program and Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal have been highlighted by the media and by critics.[22][23] Facebook has come under scrutiny for 'ignoring' or shirking its responsibility for the content posted on its platform, including copyright and intellectual property infringement,[24] hate speech,[25][26] incitement of rape,[27] violence against minorities,[28][29][30] terrorism,[31][32] fake news,[33][34][35] Facebook murder, crimes, and violent incidents live-streamed through its Facebook Live functionality.[36][37][38]

The company and its employees have also been subject to litigation cases over the years,[39][40][41][42] with its most prominent case concerning allegations that CEO Mark Zuckerberg broke an oral contract with Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narendra to build the then-named "HarvardConnection" social network in 2004, instead allegedly opting to steal the idea and code to launch Facebook months before HarvardConnection began.[43][44][45] The original lawsuit was eventually settled in 2009, with Facebook paying approximately $20 million in cash and 1.25 million shares.[46][47] A new lawsuit in 2011 was dismissed.[48] This, alongside another controversy involving Zuckerberg and fellow co-founder and former CFO Eduardo Saverin, was further explored in the 2010 American biographical drama film The Social Network. Some critics point to problems which they say will result in the demise of Facebook. Facebook has been banned by several governments for various reasons, including Syria,[49] China,[50] Iran[51] and Russia.

  1. ^ "Meta and Mark Zuckerberg must not be allowed to shape the next era of humanity". The Guardian. February 4, 2024. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  2. ^ Duncan, Geoff (June 17, 2010). "Open letter urges Facebook to strengthen privacy". Digital Trends. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  3. ^ Paul, Ian (June 17, 2010). "Advocacy Groups Ask Facebook for More Privacy Changes". PC World. International Data Group. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  4. ^ Aspen, Maria (February 11, 2008). "How Sticky Is Membership on Facebook? Just Try Breaking Free". The New York Times. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  5. ^ Anthony, Sebastian (March 19, 2014). "Facebook's facial recognition software is now as accurate as the human brain, but what now?". ExtremeTech. Ziff Davis. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  6. ^ Gannes, Liz (June 8, 2011). "Facebook facial recognition prompts EU privacy probe". CNET. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  7. ^ Friedman, Matt (March 21, 2013). "Bill to ban companies from asking about job candidates' Facebook accounts is headed to governor". The Star-Ledger. Advance Digital. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  8. ^ Stangl, Fabian J.; Riedl, René; Kiemeswenger, Roman; Montag, Christian (2023). "Negative psychological and physiological effects of social networking site use: The example of Facebook". Frontiers in Psychology. 14: 1141663. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1141663. ISSN 1664-1078. PMC 10435997. PMID 37599719.
  9. ^ "How Facebook Breeds Jealousy". Seeker. Group Nine Media. February 10, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  10. ^ Matyszczyk, Chris (August 11, 2009). "Study: Facebook makes lovers jealous". CNET. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  11. ^ Ngak, Chenda (November 27, 2012). "Facebook may cause stress, study says". CBS News. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  12. ^ Smith, Dave (November 13, 2015). "Quitting Facebook will make you happier and less stressed, study says". Business Insider. Axel Springer SE. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  13. ^ Bugeja, Michael J. (January 23, 2006). "Facing the Facebook". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Archived from the original on February 20, 2008. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  14. ^ Hough, Andrew (April 8, 2011). "Student 'addiction' to technology 'similar to drug cravings', study finds". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  15. ^ "Facebook and Twitter 'more addictive than tobacco and alcohol'". The Daily Telegraph. February 1, 2012. Archived from the original on February 16, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  16. ^ Wauters, Robin (September 16, 2010). "Greenpeace Slams Zuckerberg For Making Facebook A 'So Coal Network' (Video)". TechCrunch. AOL. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  17. ^ Neate, Rupert (December 23, 2012). "Facebook paid £2.9m tax on £840m profits made outside US, figures show". The Guardian. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  18. ^ Grinberg, Emanuella (September 18, 2014). "Facebook 'real name' policy stirs questions around identity". CNN. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  19. ^ Doshi, Vidhi (July 19, 2016). "Facebook under fire for 'censoring' Kashmir-related posts and accounts". The Guardian. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  20. ^ Arrington, Michael (November 22, 2007). "Is Facebook Really Censoring Search When It Suits Them?". TechCrunch. AOL. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  21. ^ Wong, Julia Carrie (March 18, 2019). "The Cambridge Analytica scandal changed the world – but it didn't change Facebook". The Guardian. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  22. ^ Greenwald, Glenn; MacAskill, Ewen (June 7, 2013). "NSA Prism program taps in to user data of Apple, Google and others". The Guardian. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  23. ^ Cadwalladr, Carole; Graham-Harrison, Emma (March 17, 2018). "How Cambridge Analytica turned Facebook 'likes' into a lucrative political tool". The Guardian. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  24. ^ Setalvad, Ariha (August 7, 2015). "Why Facebook's video theft problem can't last". The Verge. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  25. ^ "Facebook, Twitter and Google grilled by MPs over hate speech". BBC News. BBC. March 14, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  26. ^ Toor, Amar (September 15, 2015). "Facebook will work with Germany to combat anti-refugee hate speech". The Verge. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  27. ^ Sherwell, Philip (October 16, 2011). "Cyber anarchists blamed for unleashing a series of Facebook 'rape pages'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  28. ^ "Rohingya sue Facebook for $150bn over Myanmar hate speech". BBC News. December 7, 2021.
  29. ^ Glenn Greenwald (September 12, 2016). "Facebook Is Collaborating With the Israeli Government to Determine What Should Be Censored". The Intercept.
  30. ^ Sheera Frenkel (May 19, 2021). "Mob Violence Against Palestinians in Israel Is Fueled by Groups on WhatsApp". The New York Times.
  31. ^ "20,000 Israelis sue Facebook for ignoring Palestinian incitement". The Times of Israel. October 27, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  32. ^ "Israel: Facebook's Zuckerberg has blood of slain Israeli teen on his hands". The Times of Israel. July 2, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  33. ^ Burke, Samuel (November 19, 2016). "Zuckerberg: Facebook will develop tools to fight fake news". CNN. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  34. ^ "Hillary Clinton says Facebook 'must prevent fake news from creating a new reality'". The Daily Telegraph. June 1, 2017. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  35. ^ Fiegerman, Seth (May 9, 2017). "Facebook's global fight against fake news". CNN. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  36. ^ Grinberg, Emanuella; Said, Samira (March 22, 2017). "Police: At least 40 people watched teen's sexual assault on Facebook Live". CNN. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  37. ^ Grinberg, Emanuella (January 5, 2017). "Chicago torture: Facebook Live video leads to 4 arrests". CNN. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  38. ^ Sulleyman, Aatif (April 27, 2017). "Facebook Live killings: Why the criticism has been harsh". The Independent. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  39. ^ Farivar, Cyrus (January 7, 2016). "Appeals court upholds deal allowing kids' images in Facebook ads". Ars Technica. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  40. ^ Levine, Dan; Oreskovic, Alexei (March 12, 2012). "Yahoo sues Facebook for infringing 10 patents". Reuters. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  41. ^ Wagner, Kurt (February 1, 2017). "Facebook lost its Oculus lawsuit and has to pay $500 million". Recode. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  42. ^ Brandom, Rusell (May 19, 2016). "Lawsuit claims Facebook illegally scanned private messages". The Verge. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  43. ^ Tryhorn, Chris (July 25, 2007). "Facebook in court over ownership". The Guardian. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  44. ^ Michels, Scott (July 20, 2007). "Facebook Founder Accused of Stealing Idea for Site". ABC News. ABC. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  45. ^ Carlson, Nicholas (March 5, 2010). "How Mark Zuckerberg Hacked Into Rival ConnectU In 2004". Business Insider. Axel Springer SE. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  46. ^ Arthur, Charles (February 12, 2009). "Facebook paid up to $65m to founder Mark Zuckerberg's ex-classmates". The Guardian. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  47. ^ Singel, Ryan (April 11, 2011). "Court Tells Winklevoss Twins to Quit Their Facebook Whining". Wired. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  48. ^ Stempel, Jonathan (July 22, 2011). "Facebook wins dismissal of second Winklevoss case". Reuters. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  49. ^ Oweis, Khaled Yacoub (November 23, 2007). "Syria blocks Facebook in Internet crackdown". Reuters. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  50. ^ Wauters, Robin (July 7, 2009). "China Blocks Access To Twitter, Facebook After Riots". TechCrunch. AOL. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  51. ^ "Iranian government blocks Facebook access". The Guardian. May 24, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2017.