Facebook under fire: Is it time to regulate the social media giant?
By France24
28 October 2021 |
12:16 pm
Facebook began this week by announcing more than $9 billion in quarterly profits, an increase of about 17 percent. The social media giant also announced that it now has close to three billion users. But all is not well on the Facebook front as Mark Zuckerberg’s platform has been facing a deluge of scathing reports.
In this article
Related
5 Dec 2021
Since September, the name Evergrande has caused panic on stock exchanges around the world. Paralysed by $300 billion in debt (€260 billion), or the equivalent of 2 percent of Chinese GDP, the country's second-largest real estate developer is now threatening Chinese growth. Evergrande has more than 1,300 construction projects across China, as well as financial products, electric cars, livestock, bottled water and even a football club.
9 Dec 2021
The Chinese property giant Evergrande has missed a key debt deadline and is inching closer to a possible restructuring. Financial Analyst Danni Hewson explains why the meltdown isn't sparking turmoil on global stock markets. Also in the show: the Carbon Disclosure Project releases its 2021 ranking of sustainable business practices.
13 Dec 2021
"Islamic State" propaganda lured hundreds of Indonesians to fight for an extremist cause in Syria. One such Indonesian says the IS Islamic caliphate dream was flawed and that he wants to turn over a new leaf. He has joined a social media campaign to counter extremist narratives.
17 Dec 2021
Many Facebook groups based in Mali and Nigeria began sharing a video of a helicopter on December 9, claiming it showed an aircraft delivering weapons to terrorists. In Mali, the posts often accused the French government of operating the helicopter, while posts coming from Nigeria laid the blame on the Nigerian government. In reality, the video is from neither one of these countries – it was filmed in the Central African Republic during a routine supply drop.
26 Dec 2021
In an interview with FRANCE 24 at the Paris Peace Forum, US billionaire Frank McCourt strongly criticised tech giants, saying social media is "undermining our democracies". The owner of French football club Olympique de Marseille told us more about his Project Liberty plan. He has invested $100 million in the initiative, which he hopes will "transform the way the internet works".
21 Jan 2022
Bullying at school, or "ijime", is a persistent problem in Japan. In 2020, there were 612,000 recorded cases at schools across the country – more than three times the number a decade ago. What begins as a joke among friends can end in insults and violence. Bullying leads to academic failure, isolation and, in some cases, suicide. Last year, 80 percent of Japanese schools reported bullying incidents. Our correspondents Louis Belin, Ryusuke Murata, Aruna Popuri and Justin McCurry report from Tokyo.
3 Feb 2022
For the first time since inception in 2004, Facebook lost about 5 lakh users on a daily basis during Oct-Dec 2021. That saw the shares of its parent company, Meta, plunge 20 percent on the exchanges, wiping off $200 bn in market capitalisation.
21 Feb 2022
Fear mongering content became viral on social media this week, as Ukrainian civilians prepare for an imminent Russian attack.
22 Feb 2022
Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Wednesday.
3 Mar 2022
Many posts on social media claiming to pertain to the current conflict in Ukraine are in fact videos and photos different events in other regions that happened several years ago. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.
3 Mar 2022
Many posts on social media claiming to pertain to the current conflict in Ukraine are in fact videos and photos of different events in other regions that happened several years ago. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.
7 Mar 2022
Social media posts may seem insignificant when compared with the brutality on the ground in Ukraine, but what goes viral is directly affecting the war and Russia knows this. This Friday, the chairman of the Russian parliament Vyacheslav Volodin railed against foreign social media, calling it a "weapon" that Russia "must oppose". This comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky secured a series of victories against Russia on the international stage, thanks in no small part to his internet star power.
Latest
1 hour ago
US oil company ExxonMobil recorded a net profit of $56 billion last year, beating its previous 2008 record. It benefitted from a surge in prices following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a cost-cutting drive during the pandemic.
1 hour ago
Getting enough sleep is essential to good health, but millions of people struggle with it. As a result, many of us turn to calming music in the hopes that it will lull us to sleep.
1 hour ago
Australia will replace the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on its $5 banknote with a new design to reflect and honor the history of its Indigenous culture. King Charles III will feature on Australian coins, though.
1 hour ago
Women in low-income communities in India learn how to use energy efficiently. It’s a win-win for the climate as well as the household budget. For many it is the first time they understand the connection between fossil fuels and global warming.
4 hours ago
Scientists in Brazil are hopeful that a campaign to vaccinate endangered monkeys against yellow fever could save them from extinction. The last outbreak of the disease decimated the population of highly vulnerable golden lion tamarin monkeys.
4 hours ago
For months, European leaders have sought a united response to the US Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA. That plan, announced by the White House last year, favours American-made climate technology through subsidies and tax credits. But EU chiefs say the policy discriminates against Washington's closest partner, Europe.