Scientists Funded By Chan Zuckerberg Foundation Want Facebook To Clamp Down On Misinformation And Incendiary Speech

Scientists backed by the philanthropic organization of Facebook Inc. FB CEO Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan want the social network to do more towards stopping provocative speech and misinformation.

What Happened

The scientists either currently or previously funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) wrote to Zuckerberg saying they were “disconcerted” to see the social media giant not follow its own policies in regards to President Donald Trump who used Facebook to spread “both misinformation and incendiary statements.”

They urged Facebook CEO to “consider stricter policies on misinformation and incendiary language that harms people or groups of people, especially in our current climate that is grappling with racial injustice.”

Why It Matters

The letter signed by 143 scientists, 68 of which are direct awardees of CZI or Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, comes a week after Facebook employees staged a virtual walkout protesting company’s inaction on Trump’s posts.

Zuckerberg’s refusal to moderate the president’s posts is leading to criticism from both employees and civil rights groups. 

The Facebook CEO wrote a memo to employees on Friday, promising the social network would review its existing policies, including the ones that deal with state use of force during civil unrest.

Facebook’s stand on the president’s posts is opposite to the one taken by Twitter Inc. TWTR, which has started labeling Trump’s tweets and fact-checking them.

FB Price Action

Facebook shares traded 0.29% lower at $230.10 in the after-hours session on Friday. The shares had closed the regular session 1.98% higher at $230.77.