Hot Press issues a challenge to Mark Zuckerberg about Repeal the 8th Advertising

Culture
29 Mar 18

In an editorial in the new issue of Hot Press, editor Niall Stokes has called on Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to provide reassurances that the campaigning in the abortion referendum – now set for May 25 – will not be undermined and distorted as a result of lying, deceitful, deliberately misleading ads, targeting individuals and groups via Facebook. The editorial, which you can read below, includes an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg…

The letter puts a number of key questions to the Facebook founder, and the organisation of which he is head, as to how it will conduct itself especially in relation to advertising, between now and the polling day in the Irish abortion referendum.

“Can you tell Irish Facebook users,” Niall Stokes asks of the Facebook founder, “what you intend to do to ensure two crucial things: (i) that Facebook cannot and will not be used as a means for dangerous outside forces, of whatever kind, to subvert the democratic process here; and (ii) that no ads purchased from outside the Irish democratic arena will be allowed in relation to the referendum on abortion, in order to ensure that Ireland is not effectively gamed by sinister, unaccountable forces outside the jurisdiction?”

The Hot Press editor suggests that the best response might be for Facebook to refuse all advertising relating to the referendum.

“As you know, Mark, it should be easy to ensure that deceitful under-the-radar advertising is prevented,” Stokes writes. “The old adage applies: ‘Follow the money’. You know where it is coming from. You know the ads are being booked. You can insist on seeing every one before it is published. You know who is being targeted. You can prevent abuse.

“In fact you could unilaterally refuse to allow any advertising whatsoever about the abortion referendum. Given the extent to which your organisation has been shown to have facilitated black propaganda in the past, that is really what we think you should do.

“Are you going to take the money, in the way that you did from Cambridge Analytica or their agents? Are you going to allow the democratic process in Ireland to be subverted, in the way that the US Presidential election was? And hr Brexit vote?

“Are you going to assist the biggest liars, and the most unscrupulous wretches to win again?”

A copy of Hot Press, containing the article will be delivered to Facebook’s European HQ in Dublin this afternoon.

You can read the full editorial challenge to Mark Zuckerberg here: hotpress.com/Facebook