Activists push Facebook boycott

Democrats, celebrities and advocates are promoting the #LogOutFacebook movement led by the NAACP to protest reports that Facebook did little to stop Russian disinformation to suppress minority votes during the 2016 election.

“In Solidarity to the [NAACP], I won’t be on Instagram tomorrow and won’t be on Facebook for a week,” actress and activist Amy Schumer tweeted. “Please join me.”

The NAACP is encouraging Facebook users to log out of the platform for a week in protest after a Senate report found that Russians exploited Instagram and Facebook to suppress African-American turnout.

“I stand with @NAACP‘s #LogOutFacebook, expressing our concerns about the privacy mishaps & hate speech incidents Facebook has allowed,” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) tweeted on Tuesday. “Our hope is this boycott will charge Facebook to do a better job of protecting & supporting communities of color online. Join us!”

The NAACP said Monday it would lead a week-long protest starting Tuesday encouraging individuals to log out as “a way to signify to Facebook that the data and privacy of its users of color matter more than its corporate interests.”

The company’s COO Sheryl Sandberg on Tuesday morning responded to the NAACP’s boycott, writing in a blog post that Facebook is “committed to working with leading US civil rights organizations to strengthen and advance civil rights on our service.”

“They’ve raised a number of important concerns, and I’m grateful for their candor and guidance,” Sandberg wrote. “We know that we need to do more: to listen, look deeper and take action to respect fundamental rights.”