Facebook acknowledges 'mistakes' over Brett Kavanaugh hearing

[Julian Englis]

Source: Financial Times

Facebook said its leadership team had made “mistakes” after its head of public policy attended last week’s Congressional grilling of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, causing uproar among some employees.

Joel Kaplan, vice-president for global public policy, said he and his wife had sat behind Mr Kavanaugh because they were close personal friends. Mr Kavanaugh was being questioned about allegations that he committed sexual assault as a teenager, which he denies. The Senate on Thursday was moving towards a final vote on his nomination.

But many Facebook employees were shocked and concerned that it could be a deliberate move to show support for the right, at a time when the company has been accused of an anti-conservative bias.

A Facebook spokesperson said sexual assault was an issue society had “turned a blind eye to for far too long — compounding every victim’s pain”. “Our leadership team recognises that they’ve made mistakes handling the events of the last week and we’re grateful for all the feedback from our employees,” she said.

Read more: https://www.ft.com/content/49abfd38-c822-11e8-ba8f-ee390057b8c9

[njhoneybadger]

1. Another reason I'll never have a Facebook account

I know all your friends and family are on it

[lagomorph777]

32. +1. Need to re-label it as "antisocial media."

[Racerdog1]

2. Facebook sucks ass

IF you have to peruse sites like Facebook so you can be someone you are not or waste your time telling everyone everything you do, you are a sad Iindividual.

[Demit]

3. Yes, god forbid that people should interact or share interests. That would be awful.

[Racerdog1]

5. Interaction?

On a screen? What happened to actually interacting face to face?

[Atman]

6. You've never heard of visits, and phone calls, and purchases?

Just because you use FB doesn't mean you're not dealing with people face to face. Sure, communicate online -- to set up meetings, plan concert dates together, recommend restaurants to meet at. I do all these things, I'm not just sitting there in a dark basement (in fact, I've got a rather large, bright studio, and I do design work on the Mac during the day, so I'm pretty much sitting in front of the computer anyway). I guess you get from FB according to how you use it. If you're content to just read memes and insult Republicans, certainly entertaining to a point, then yes, you're probably wasting your time. But a FB page is rather important to anyone trying to run a business these days.

[delisen]

15. I guess that is the problem. You and many others need them but you have no power over them

and they are powerful enough to throw elections and unethical enough to work against the human rights of people in countries and do the bidding of dictators.

Right now it seems only Europe has been able or willing to address the information issues Facebook presents.

I personally never use Facebook because I believe in my right to own my information and not let it be taken from me without my permission and then used against me.

I realize however that as one person I cannot stop the unethical practices of a massive business organization-so for now I stay in touch and support those in power who understand the situation

[Merlot]

17. I run a business without FB, hasn't been a problem.

a FB page is rather important to anyone trying to run a business these days.

None of my clients has ever suggested setting up a meeting via FB, or requested I start a FB page to enable communication.

FB is used to promote a business, but not necessary to run a business.

[Atman]

18. "FB is used to promote a business, but not necessary to run a business."

Of course. I never stated otherwise. I certainly don't run my business from FB, nor use it for communication with my clients. I use FB as a way to direct people to samples of my work (I have a web site, too), and to drum up some extra sales. Advertising on FB is very cheap, and easily targetable. One sale will generally pay for the advertising several times over. It's just another tool, among many others. Good for you that you don't bother with Facebook. I don't advertise in Time Magazine, either, and my business does just fine without it. I guess it's just a matter of knowing your market.

[Thekaspervote]

24. Me too!

[Demit]

13. My goodness. The horror you must feel about writing letters & talking on the phone.

[Atman]

4. I grow weary of the holier-than-thou.

If you don't like it, fine. I use it for both business and personal. I advertise on FB (and make money from it), and I also post on my personal page to keep in touch with friends (real friends, only people I actually know in person). So climb down off your high horse. I'm not sad at all.

[onlyadream]

7. Same here.

Although I do feel that FB is complicit and hope they fix the way they do things.

[rpannier]

10. What? You use and advertise on FB???

I think... I think... I feel all queasy inside. Oh..
*fans self. then faints, falling to the floor while bracing fall with hands*

I'm with you. If people want to use it, so what?

[delisen]

16. People using it are free to give up their rights to their own information but

they also are complicit in others losing their rights over their own information. I never use Facebook. I think its users have been part of throwing elections and working against human rights around the world.

I always get a kick out of people who want to boycott Walmart (where they never shop) but but congratulate themselves for their supposed ethical stand on Facebook or then celebrate themselves by purchasing an Apple product.

I don't have any answers to what is happening but I think the cutting edge for opposing Facebook's disregard for people and human rights is in Europe and so follow those developments.

[7962]

12. And I know several instances where FB interaction helped people in a bad way.

My "lost" uncle was one of them.

[Marrah_Goodman]

23. I use facebook to keep in contact with my family out of state

It's great to be able to see pictures and hear about things going on in real time. If it's not your thing, no one is making you use it.

[delisen]

27. I think Facebook, like the Federalist Society is anti-democracy

Europe understands the problem; US doesn't.

So I don't use it. -but I think Dems who do have been enablers for Trump and Republicans re the election. Nothing personal. Everyone has to make their own decisions.

I believe Facebook will wither due to young people worldwide turning away from it, Europe passing laws limiting its abuses, and more democratic privacy-minder platforms starting up

[Marrah_Goodman]

31. Your post is offensive and insulting.

[delisen]

33. Ah pleasing everyone is such an impossibility, so I don't over reach.

[Owl]

30. I agree.

[Anon-C]

8. Joel Kaplan can stick it.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. GOP operandi - "Easier to ask forgiveness than permission"

[Raven123]

11. CYA. Facebook should fire him

If the V.P of your “public policy “ shows up at a nationally broadcast hearing where an accusation of sexual assault against his/her friend is made, you need another V.P. He/she should know they will be viewed as a corporate representative. Those are the breaks. That’s why they are paid the big bucks

[FakeNoose]

14. +100 This

He was there as an official "unofficial" Facebook representative. Now that he's caught out, they're doing all this backspin. But it's all bullshit, ya know? Why the hell did you fly to Washington DC just to sit behind Kavanaugh in the hearing room? Don't say it's because he's your buddy, because you could have called him or texted him and stayed home.

[saidsimplesimon]

26. Best response, thank you Noose

[Le Gaucher]

19. shut the fucking company down .. it is a useless time wasting service that provides no net value to

us

[JudyM]

25. trump campaign credits FB with the 2106 win

Their techie sherpa embedded in the trump campaign continuously fine tuned messaging, an advantage the Clinton campaign turned down.

[rockfordfile]

20. This should tell you something about this company. Supporting a traitor like Trump and now this.

Joel Kaplan is vice-president for global public policy. That's embarrassing. That guy is supporting a attempted rapist etc.. That's Facebook's global policy.

[mpcamb]

21. Rats stick together, right Joel?

[MountCleaners]

22. That kind of behavior ENCOURAGES the scary nutcases...

Facebook is being so dishonest here. When they back Trump and Kavanaugh, they are lending encouragement to the truly scary people who, for some reason, feel perfectly comfortable posting loads of hateful garbage and lies on Facebook.

So my sister, who used to be a singer in a band, posted to her FB that her PTSD was so bad lately that she won't take a shower without her husband in the room. She got ganged up on by SCARY far-right rock and rollers and one made a death threat and another said, "my sister says your husband raped her." I mean, they are viciously attacking survivors and telling rape jokes. My sister alerted on one of the rape jokes, and the guy's mother told her, "I kill for my sons." So I did some digging and what I found was that these people use FB as a circle jerk to post scary racist stuff to each other. This woman is also friends with a woman who is notorious on FB for being an obsessed stalker of anyone who disagrees with her. I think she got thrown off Twitter at least once for her behavior. I mean, they talk about the rage of women...wander into the wrong group and you find tons of truly disturbing far right rage. And these people will threaten anyone who alerts FB to their posts.

Seriously, I'm surprised more people haven't gotten hurt because of violent crazies hanging out on FB and reinforcing each others' beliefs. It's as bad as 4Chan at this time for the racism, hate and threats.

[Squinch]

28. And people STILL put money into those assholes' pockets.

[SomethingNew]

29. I don't see why this is a problem.

Set aside the politics of all of this for a moment. If a close friend of yours was accused of doing something horrible but denied that he did it and there was little to no corroborating evidence, would you just immediately believe they were guilty and stop supporting them? I wouldn't and I don't want any friends who would answer yes to that question. If a person's interactions with you over a decade or more have led you to believe they are a good person, why would you immediately believe the worst about them as soon as the accusation is made? I know many here believe that being a republican automatically makes a person evil, but I don't subscribe to that belief.

Sorry, I can't fault someone for sticking by a close friend before any investigation or anything else has been done.