City
Epaper

Facebook is a new cigarette, bad for kids: Salesforce CEO

By IANS | Updated: October 17, 2019 10:15 IST

Pitching for breaking up Facebook, US-based software giant Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has called the social networking platform "new cigarettes" which are making kids addictive.

Open in App

Responding to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's announcement that he will make a speech about his views on free expression, Benioff said the company must be held accountable now.

"Facebook is a publisher. They need to be held accountable for propaganda on their platform. We must have standards & practices decided by law. FB is the new cigarette - it's addictive, bad for us, & our kids are being drawn in. We need to abolish section 230 Indemnifying them," he tweeted on Wednesday.

Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act of 1996 gives automatic liability protection to social media firm for any content posted by their users.

In an interview with CNN later, the Salesforce chief pushed for the breakup of Facebook.

"They're also acquiring other companies and co-mingling (data)... they probably should be broken up because they're having an undue influence as the largest social media platform on the planet," he was quoted as saying.

Zuckerberg was scheduled to make a speech on free expression on Thursday.

"Why I believe voice is important, how giving people voice and bringing people together go hand in hand, how we might address the challenges that more voice and the internet introduce, and the major threats to free expression around the world," Zuckerberg posted.

Several US lawmakers like Senators Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren have been pitching to break up Facebook.

Warren in fact successfully run a fake ad on the social media platform that claimed "Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook just endorsed Donald Trump for re-election".

Zuckerberg, however, has promised his employees to "fight and win" if Democratic presidential hopeful Warren wins the 2020 election and moves forward with her stated plan to break up the big US tech firms.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: Mark ZuckerbergElizabeth WarrenusBenioffKamala Harris
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalLaGuardia Airport Plane Accident: At Least 2 Killed, Several Injured After Air Canada Express CRJ-900 Collides With Fire Truck on Runway

InternationalUS-Israel-Iran War: Japan, Germany, France Show Caution Over Trump’s Strait of Hormuz Warship Plan

InternationalUK Watchdogs Urge Social Media Giants To Stop Children Accessing Platforms

AurangabadLocal industries feel heat of Global conflict

InternationalIran's Nuclear Underground Facility in Natanz Damage, Confirms IAEA

International Realted Stories

International"If US gets three more victories like this, it will be ruined," Iran Speaker shares pic of downed jet

International77 Killed, Over 100 Injured in Afghanistan Floods Since March 26: Govt Officials

InternationalFairPoint: Smarter wars, not longer ones - India’s lesson for a restless world

InternationalAll Indian seafarers in Persian Gulf are safe: Govt

InternationalNaxalism, Kashmir militancy see major decline over 12 years: Report