Facebook employees apparently do not agree with Mark Zuckerberg’s pronouncements on the ideological tolerance of the company.
An internal post titled “We Have a Problem With Political Diversity” — a rebuke of the idea that Facebook offers an environment conducive to the free exchange of ideas — was shared this week with The New York Times.
“We are a political monoculture that’s intolerant of different views,” Brian Amerige, a senior Facebook engineer, wrote in the post, the newspaper reported Tuesday. “We claim to welcome all perspectives, but are quick to attack — often in mobs — anyone who presents a view that appears to be in opposition to left-leaning ideology.”
Sources that requested anonymity said Mr. Amerige’s message prompted more than 100 employees to join a group called FB’ers for Political Diversity.
One source said that upset critics of the group filed complaints with managers but were told the message did not violate company rules.
The group’s formation comes against a political backdrop in which President Trump has criticized social media giants for bias against right-leaning content.
Companies like Facebook, Google and Twitter are accused of using algorithms that disproportionately affect conservative users.
The companies have also been accused of arbitrarily enforcing vague terms of service to silence rhetoric that falls out a narrow ideological spectrum.
Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, is scheduled to testify before Senate lawmakers on Sept. 5 regarding social media’s possible influence on the midterm elections.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has also agreed to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.