By: Lisa M. Hayes – Confluence Daily is your daily news source for women in the know.
As the Congressional hearings with Mark Zuckerberg are underway, I find myself wondering why this even matters. First of all, Congressional hearings are more ceremonial than informational. It’s theater on the grandest stage in the land. Practically speaking, that’s all it is.
A lot of people have feelings about Facebook and their data. I’m an avid Facebook user. I’ve seen a massive flood of posts from my Facebook friends ceremonially announcing they are leaving Facebook. I’m going to be honest, using Facebook to announce you’re leaving Facebook seems like a special kind of irony to me.
But I digress…
I’m going to say something no one wants to hear:
Facebook is not the problem.
Facebook is a monster of a machine. They haven’t always managed their resources appropriately. I’m pretty sure they get that now. However, I’m not convinced they’ve broken any laws. Maybe the laws need to change. However, even changing the law won’t matter.
Why?
Because this is about Russian interference in our elections.
When it comes to Russian interference in our elections the law doesn’t seem to matter.
Facebook isn’t at fault for Russian interference in our elections. They may have been a tool for influence. However, Russia pulled the strings. Russia called the shots. Russian paid millions or maybe billions spinning tales to bend electorial results. And the President of the United States doesn’t seem to care because he benefited from it.
US Cyber Command chief Adm. Mike Rogers told lawmakers that he has not been granted the authority by President Donald Trump to disrupt Russian election hacking operations where they originate.
We cannot expect the private sector to do what the President will not – not even Facebook.
Expecting Facebook to solve or be accountable for a problem that the White House helped create, a problem the White House is actively endeavoring to nurture and protect is the very definition of insanity.
The irony that we are holding Congressional hearings over a scandal the President of the United States denies even exists is laughable. It’s an intentional distraction.
Until the President of the United States concedes that election influencing, meddling, or tampering by a foreign government is an act of war, we will be losing a war we are not even fighting.
Blaming Facebook, raking Zuckerberg over the coals in congressional hearings might feel good. It is good theater. However, it’s pointless.
In February there was a Congressional hearing where every intelligence chief we have stated very strongly Russian influence on our elections was real, and it is very serious. That was the hearing that mattered. Unfortunately, Donald J. Trump didn’t hear it at all.
For more information about the Congression hearing with the Intel Chiefs Click Here.
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