Rush Statement on Facebook’s Failure to Stop Targeted Manipulation of African-Americans in the 2016 Election

CHICAGO — Today, U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.), released the following statement on today’s New York Times article detailing Russia’s targeted manipulation of African-Americans in the 2016 election:

“Today’s troubling report underscores the point I raised at the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing with Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook can be — and has been — used to unethically and unfairly target individuals based on their perceived race.

“It is appalling that Facebook, one of the world’s most groundbreaking companies, sat idly by while African-Americans were inundated with propaganda and lies by a hostile foreign power with the intent to suppress voter turnout.  It is highly implausible that no one at Facebook noticed this was happening and that it didn’t ring alarm bells throughout their Menlo Park headquarters.  This corporate blind spot further underscores the serious need for a more diverse workforce who would have been more likely to notice this alarming anomaly; it is not enough to have Black Lives Matters posters on the wall.

“Facebook callously ignored the systematic and deliberate targeting of those who, according to the New York Times, ‘had shown interest in particular topics, including black history, the Black Panther Party and Malcolm X.’  Mark Zuckerberg failed his users and has continued to erode the trust of Americans because Facebook is more concerned with their bottom line instead of defending our democracy and vulnerable and historically-marginalized populations.  Our country has a long and sordid history of suppressing the black vote — a brazen pattern we continue to see today — and Facebook has now joined the ranks of those who have furthered that repugnant cause.

“Facebook and its subsidiaries must be held accountable for the egregious and negligent role they played in the 2016 election.  This larger-than-life company has a moral responsibility to protect their users, not be a party to the erosion of our democracy or aid and abet hostile foreign actors.”

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