WORLD NEWS
Facebook Co-founder Calls For Company To Break Up
A cofounder of Facebook has called for the government to break up the company, warning that Mark Zuckerberg’s power is “unprecedented and un-American”.
Chris Hughes, who helped established Facebook after meeting Zuckerberg at Harvard, wrote in the New York Times that Facebook’s acquisition of rival platforms had given Zuckerberg unparalleled power over speech and that, from the early days of Facebook, Zuckerberg had touted “domination” as an ultimate goal.
“Mark’s influence is staggering, far beyond that of anyone else in the private sector or in government. He controls three core communications platforms – Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – that billions of people use every day,” Hughes wrote.
“We are a nation with a tradition of reining in monopolies, no matter how well intentioned the leaders of these companies may be. Mark’s power is unprecedented and un-American.
“It is time to break up Facebook.”
Facebook has more than 2 billion monthly users, according to its most recent earnings report, while WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram are each used by more than 1 billion people. Hughes’s appeal for tighter regulation comes as some lawmakers are calling for big tech companies to be reined in.
The Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren has pledged that if she is elected president, she will break up Facebook, Amazon and Google, criticizing “anti-competitive mergers” such as Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
She tweeted her support for Hughes on Thursday, saying: “It’s time to break up big tech.” She has proposed passing legislation to diminish the growing power of giant tech firms including Amazon, Google and Facebook.
“Today’s big tech companies have too much power – over our economy, our society and our democracy,” she said. “They’ve bulldozed competition, used our private info for profit, hurt small businesses and stifled innovation.”
Hughes left Facebook in 2007 to work on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, and he sold his Facebook shares in 2012 – for half a billion dollars– but he said he still felt “a sense of anger and responsibility” at the company’s omnipotence.
“The most problematic aspect of Facebook’s power is Mark’s unilateral control over speech. There is no precedent for his ability to monitor, organize and even censor the conversations of 2 billion people,” Hughes wrote.
Facebook has been plagued by scandal and growing outrage regarding its influence over the past several years. In March 2018, it was revealed that Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics firm that worked with Donald Trump’selection team, had harvested millions of Facebook profiles to target users with personalized political advertisements. Just last month, Facebook admitted to “unintentionally” uploading the address books of 1.5 million users without consent.
Even before the March 2018 revelation shone a light on its data collection practices, the company had been implicated in a Russian influence operation to interfere with US presidential elections. It has also been criticized for its role in inciting ethnic violence in a genocidal campaign in Myanmar. Misinformation, violations of privacy and the livestreaming of terrorist attacks have dogged the company this year.
The activist groups Color of Change and Majority Action are urging Facebook’s shareholders to vote against Zuckerberg’s nomination to the board at a 30 May meeting. They are also calling for the creation of an independent government data protection agency to rein in his influence, saying the executive has proven he is unwilling or unable to address the growing concerns surrounding the platform.
“With the near-constant headlines of Facebook’s failures, breaches and risks, shareholders cannot be assured that the company will adopt the comprehensive reforms needed to restore confidence,” Eli Kasargod-Staub, the executive director of Majority Action.
GENERAL NEWS
Ghanaian Business Mogul Allegedly M*rdered In South Africa
Intel from a reliable source stated that a 48 year old Ghanaian businessman, Newton Kwaku Boateng, who is based in South Africa has been allegedly poisoned to death by his South African wife in SA a week ago.
Mr. Newton who recently had scuffles with his wife had reported her to his family in Ghana, and even threatened divorce. Suspecting foul play, Boateng’s family have expressed their displeasure and despair at the death of their relative. They believe without doubt that indeed, their relative was poisoned by his wife.
Mr. Godwin Attipoe who spoke on behalf of Newton’s Family in Ghana said “We are so devastated. We are so angry. We are so heartbroken.”
He hinted that after the death of the beloved brother, a case of inquest was opened in Kempton Park, South African Police Service in Gauteng Province, South Africa, adding that “Kempton Park is a City which is based in Gauteng Province”.
Godwin Attipoe claimed they suspect corruption and cover up of the murder of Newton Kwaku Boateng by Kempton Park police station which he claimed is working closely with the wife of the deceased Alinah Mahlangu. Why? Their inquest for an autopsy be done on the victim is being denied by the police service in SA.
An emotional Godwin had to pause speaking as he started weeping, triggering cries among his other family members who were with him.
He further revealed that South African police say they are investigating and awaiting autopsy results after the body with foam in his mouth was found.
He however said “We are giving the South Africa police the authority and power of attorney to order an autopsy on Newton Boateng who died on March 2, 2023”.
He appealed to the Ghana Embassy in South Africa to assist the family to supervise the autopsy on the deceased, which his wife is resisting, adding that the wife of the deceased has not been authorized to represent the family on the issue.
More developing on the issue. Watch this space.
WORLD NEWS
South Korea Halloween stampede: Seoul crush killed at least 151 lives. (video)
South Korea Halloween stampede: Seoul crush killed at least 151 lives. (video)
South Korea Halloween stampede : At least 146 people have been killed after a stampede in the South Korean capital of Seoul on Saturday night.
During Halloween celebrations outside the Hamilton Hotel in the Itaewon neighborhood, the victims were crushed by a massive throng surging forward on a small street.
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Social media videos showed numerous casualties lying on the ground as emergency personnel and onlookers tried to revive them with CPR.
The 150 injured, many of whom are in serious condition in the hospital, and the death toll, according to Choi Seong-beom, chief of Seoul’s Yongsan fire department, could increase.
He said that the majority of the bodies had been transferred to hospitals, while the remainder had been taken to a nearby gym so that they could be recognized.
All of Seoul’s emergency services professionals, along with hundreds more, were deployed to the streets to treat the injured.
Although some local media reports claimed a huge number of people flocked to the area after learning an unnamed celebrity had been there, it is unclear what precipitated the crowd surge.
Oh Se-hoon, the mayor of Seoul, had been traveling in Europe but decided to come back home after hearing the news.
Following the stampede, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol presided over an emergency meeting.
In a statement, he urged officials to guarantee the injured received prompt medical attention and to examine the festival venues’ security.
The largest Halloween celebrations in years were held in Itaewon, according to local media, as a result of the recent relaxation of COVID-19 regulations.
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