”Mark Zuckerberg Should Not Be Left to Control Facebook,” George Soros Says — Does He Have a Point?

The Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros penned an op-ed in the New York Times on Friday, stating that Mark Zuckerberg should not be in control of Facebook.

George Soros once again slammed Facebook’s decision not to fact-check political ads. In addition, the billionaire argued that Facebook and its founder could be poised to give Donald Trump an unfair advantage in the upcoming elections.

Mark Zuckerberg’s decision not to require fact-checking in political advertising opens doors for false and manipulated statements, Soros opined. He also insinuated that there could be some ”informal mutual assistance operation or agreement” between Donald Trump and Facebook leadership.

Zuckerberg’s motives in keeping policies that Benefit Trump are ”in making money,” Soros noted, highlighting that if Trump wins a second term, he would probably return the favor by protecting the company from regulators and media criticism.

In Soros’ view, Facebook leadership has clearly placed money and profits over consequences. Furthermore, the 89-year-old philanthropist argued that Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg ”should not be left” in control of the social media company, suggested that they should be ”forced” to if needed.

Soros’ op-ed piece is an escalation of his earlier remarks during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. During his speech there, the liberal financier said for the first time that there was ”informal mutual assistance” between President Donald Trump and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Facebook has categorically declined the allegations, calling them ”plain wrong” at that time.

The social media firm issued an official statement on Friday to refute the latest allegations by Soros. Facebook declined to have a ”special relationship” with Trump, as suggested by the billionaire. In addition to that, a spokesperson for the company also opposed any possible alignments with a political party or a politician.

In conclusion, Facebook highlighted that it keeps investing in making the platform safe and in stopping any foreign interference in elections around the world, and combat misinformation.

Soros and Zuckerberg have been trapped in a long-term debate over the role of the social media giant in our lives. In January 2018, Soros called Google and Facebook a ”menace” to society with a harmful effect on democracy.

In response, Facebook hired the opposition-research firm Definers, to smear Soros and fellow anti-Facebook activists in attacks that critics defined as anti-Semitic. Following a New York Times report proving this, Facebook dropped the firm, and Mark Zuckerberg declined to have knowledge of its practices.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with George Soros’ statement that Mark Zuckerberg should be left in control of Facebook?