November 23, 2017
The battle of good over evil has been fought since the beginning of time. It’s a war that will continue, a never-ending arms race where one side gains dominance with a new weapon until the other side nullifies the advantage and turns the tide.
While nefarious forces have been blamed for affecting election results, to further their goal of world domination, social media networks have also had to take a portion of responsibility for not doing enough to keep powerful states in check.
In response to public pressure, and to protect their brand image, which is hugely important to continued profitability, Facebook has made efforts to stop the spread of misinformation while increasing transparency.
On Wednesday, Facebook released a statement specifically identifying Russian activity as a force it wants to negate. As such, they will be creating a portal to allow users to learn which Facebook pages and Instagram accounts they have followed that are run by foreign actors that try to sow division and mistrust.
Where initially Mark Zuckerberg thought it “crazy” that Facebook could play a role in giving powerful individuals even more powerful, he has now back-tracked. Much like Théoden, Zuckerberg has awoken and come to realise the part he has to play in this war. Will it be enough to change the outcome?