Facebook seems to have upset just about everyone on the right — and the left.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., one of Congress’ most outspoken, far-left lawmakers is now calling out Facebook’s “monopolistic mission,” just as a whistleblower testifies that the company is harmful to society.
“It’s almost as if Facebook’s monopolistic mission to either own, copy, or destroy any competing platform has incredibly destructive effects on free society and democracy,” AOC wrote on Twitter. “Remember: WhatsApp wasn’t created by Facebook. It was an independent success. FB got scared & bought it,” she continued.
AOC argued the company has grown too large and does more harm than good.
“If Facebook’s monopolistic behavior was checked back when it should’ve been (perhaps around the time it started acquiring competitors like Instagram), the continents of people who depend on WhatsApp & IG for either communication or commerce would be fine right now,” AOC said. “Break them up.”
This has been a challenging week for Facebook, which saw its site go down for millions of users Monday just as yet another whistleblower spoke out against the tech giant. Shares lost 5% Monday but did gain back 2% on Tuesday to close out the session at $332.96.
Former Facebook employee Frances Haugen raised concerns about the company, alleging it purposefully sparks division and enacts policies that harm the mental health of kids. She is the latest former employee to step away from the company and raise the alarm.
“The thing I saw at Facebook over and over was that there were conflicts of interest between what’s good for the public and what’s good for Facebook,” Haugen said. “Facebook over and over again chose to optimize for its own interest.”
