What To Make Of Snapchat's Decision To Stop Promoting Trump

Snap Inc SNAP will no longer promote U.S. President Donald Trump's account on Snapchat's "Discover" page. Axios' Sara Fischer was a guest on CNBC's "Squawk Box" to discuss her report and the broader takeaway in the social media sector.

Impact On Facebook

Snapchat's decision contrasts Facebook, Inc. FB Mark Zuckerberg, who said the company doesn't want to take on the role of being "arbiters of truth."

Fischer said Zuckerberg is now in a position where he may need to compromise his long-term vision of Facebook being a free speech zone while his biggest rivals are taking the exact opposite option. As such, it may prove to be a "long battle ahead" if it wants to keep its position.

Let The People Decide?

"Squawk Box" co-host Joe Kernan said the American public should be the one to decide for themselves what to believe instead of an appointed fact-checker "deciding what I am allowed to see."

Snap appears to be taking a position where it wants to warn its users that "as a company disagrees with some of the content," Fischer said. While this is a subjective position for domestic politics, companies will need to "take a line" in places like Myanmar that incite violence over social media outlets.

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