November 21, 2020
SumOfUs Demands Platform Stop Destroying Democracy with Disinformation Spread
SAN FRANCISCO -- SumOfUs, a global consumer advocacy organization and online community with nearly 17 million members worldwide, will gather outside Mark Zuckerberg’s home in San Francisco, dressed in costume with props, to demand Facebook stop the rampant spread of disinformation on its platform.
“This past election was clear evidence that Facebook has become a gigantic trash heap of disinformation and it’s way past time for it to clean up its act,” said Emma Ruby-Sachs, executive director of SumOfUs. “Mark Zuckerberg knows he’s not doing nearly enough. He’ll keep doing the bare minimum and continue to line his pockets with profits until we hold him accountable for the destruction he’s doing to our very democracy.”
SumOfUs has been relentless in putting pressure on the major social media platforms to fight against disinformation rather than be complicit in its spread. As part of the day’s events, SumOfUs will deliver a recent petition to Zuckerberg signed by over 52,000 supporters demanding that tech giants like Facebook, Google, YouTube and Twitter rework their algorithms to stop pushing users to extreme content that is littered with disinformation, hate speech, and lies.
SumOfUs will also join a coalition of activists including Global Exchange, Media Alliance, Protest Facebook Coalition, CodePink Golden Gate, Diablo Rising Tide, Indivisible SF Peninsula and CA-14, MediaJustice, Raging Grannies Action League, Resistance SF, San Francisco Green Party and others in a wider protest against the platform.
For more information on event logistics, photos, or to arrange an interview with a SumOfUs spokesperson, please contact Rewan Al-Haddad: rewan@sumofus.org
About SumOfUs
SumOfUS is an advocacy nonprofit organization and online community with nearly 17 million members worldwide. We combine and amplify consumers’ voices to make sure regulators and corporations around the world hear them. Together, our community of millions act as a global consumer watchdog – running and winning campaigns to hold the biggest companies in the world accountable. More information can be found at www.SumOfUs.org.