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Facebook executive admits hiring firm that linked critics to Soros
Facebook's outgoing policy chief took the blame Wednesday night for hiring a consulting firm to investigate and peddle negative stories about the company's critics, including by linking them to liberal philanthropist George Soros.
The blog post by the executive, Elliot Schrage, landed on the eve of the Thanksgiving weekend, and appeared aimed at absolving CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg of responsibility for a lobbying campaign that sparked accusations that Facebook was fueling anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
[...] The New York Times reported last week that Facebook, under pressure over reports of Russian election interference on its platform, hired the Republican-linked consulting firm, Definers Public Affairs, which among other things sought to tie anti-Facebook groups to the Soros-backed Open Society Foundations.
Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg can't remember smear firm, but 'some of their work' crossed her desk
Facebook has reposted [the Schrage blog post] with an addition by COO Sheryl Sandberg, who claimed: "I didn't remember a firm called Definers. I asked our team to look into the work Definers did for us and to double-check whether anything had crossed my desk. Some of their work was incorporated into materials presented to me and I received a small number of emails where Definers was referenced.
Soros Philanthropy President Calls for U.S. Lawmakers to Review Facebook (repost)
The president of George Soros's philanthropy called for oversight of Facebook Inc. by U.S. lawmakers after the social media company confirmed it hired a controversial public relations outfit to research the billionaire financier.
[...] In response to Facebook's memo, Patrick Gaspard, president of Mr. Soros's Open Society Foundations, said in a tweet on Wednesday: "So @facebook decides to drop a turkey on Thanksgiving eve, with admission that Definers was tasked by company leadership to target and smear George Soros because he publicly criticized their out of control business model. Sorry, but this needs independent, congressional oversight."
George Soros Sold Facebook, Netflix, and Goldman Stock Just Before They Tumbled
Soros Fund Management, which Soros founded and chairs, exited social-network giant Facebook (FB) completely in the third quarter, while also slashing positions in Netflix stock (NFLX) and Goldman Sachs Group stock (GS). Those three stocks have tumbled in the fourth quarter so far, with Facebook and Goldman setting new lows Tuesday. They are down almost 20% and 15%, respectively, so far this quarter. Highflying streaming-content giant Netflix has tumbled almost 29% since the end of September.
[...] Soros Fund Management sold all its Facebook stock before the end of the third quarter, prior to publication of the New York Times report. Following the report, the head of Soros' Open Society Foundations criticized what it called "Facebook's smear campaign" against Soros.
See also: After latest scandal, does Facebook need to be regulated?
Facebook v Soros: 'Congress must probe'
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 24 2018, @11:49PM (6 children)
* Breitbart and Ben Shapiro - Created / worked for Huffington Post
* Gavin McInnis - Co-founder of Vice
* David Horowitz - Editor of Ramparts
* Candace Owens - worked for the Trevor Project
Isn't it interesting how so many of the most aggressive anti-leftists used to be deep in the left? It's like they learned something and are trying to warn us. We should listen.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @12:08AM (1 child)
Ah yes, the so-secret we dare not speak its name! If only there was some outlet these people could publish such ground breaking findings in.
Or you're just a conspiracy nutcase who finds correlations and then presumes causation. What if I told you they were plants that learned about their competition then started outrage rags to profit off the morons who wouldn't buy the stuff with facts in it?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @04:50AM
"...buy the stuff with alt-facts in it?"
TFTFY
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @12:36AM (2 children)
Look back to Mussolini to see the link between fascism and the left. Or Oswald Mosley and the BUF with his following of ex-Suffragettes. Look at Antifa or Fabian eugenicists. The "left", cosying up to corporate, institutional and governmental power while denying that the conveyor belt to the form of socialism they call "far right" starts on their side?
The authoritarian left and fascists are indistinguishable; the people you mentioned are not fascists and the centre right are now the guardians of free speech and scientific truths. The message is more important than the personalities involved but Andrew Breitbart should be seen as a liberal hero. Unfortunately, the term is now polluted with Marxism. [wikipedia.org] There's nothing Liberal about subjugating people to an internationalist regime based on equality of outcome, that's International Socialism and liberals reject it!
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 25 2018, @02:29AM (1 child)
Socialism != liberalism.
This is the pseudo-left such as the Democratic Socialists of America and International Socialist Organization. It's doubtful that they actually support proletarian revolution; they seem to be only interested in upholding the capitalist order. Read about the history of the International Committee of the Fourth International starting with the October Revolution (Russia 1917). Of interest is the betrayal of the Stalinists, though the infiltration of the Fourth International by GPU and CIA agents (and the subsequent Pabloite movement) is also interesting.
It is because the pseudo-left support capitalism that they cannot help but to support the form capitalism evolves into: fascism. We see their version of a fascist movement with Antifa (brownshirts), identity politics, and their general right-wing authoritarian approach. Compare and contrast the "alt-right:" Proud Boys (brownshirts), identity politics, and a general right-wing authoritarian approach.
Only a genuine movement of the international working class can defeat fascism.
wswswswsws has a selection of writings [wsws.org] mostly by Trotsky but also concerning the Fourth International. Marxists.org has a more extensive Trotsky section [marxists.org].
(Score: 1, Offtopic) by khallow on Sunday November 25 2018, @06:07AM
Only if they're not the fascists themselves. But then, maybe there is no such thing as a genuine movement of the international working class?
(Score: 2) by Joe Desertrat on Sunday November 25 2018, @10:57PM
They learned there is far more easy money to be made duping the true believers on the right.