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justaprogressive

(2,599 posts)
Fri Dec 27, 2024, 10:27 AM Dec 27

Mark Zuckerberg and Meta got a big win. They have the House GOP to thank.

In the waning days of 2024, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his company Meta took on 91 senators, a bipartisan group of representatives, President-elect Donald Trump’s son, Trump ally Elon Musk, and a coalition of parents who thought this would be the year Congress passed legislation to protect kids online.

Zuckerberg and Meta won.

Congress left Washington without passing the Kids Online Safety Act after coming closer than ever to imposing rules on social media to prevent the addiction and mental health harms the sites are widely agreed to cause. Zuckerberg can thank House Speaker Mike Johnson for closing the door on it this Congress. Once reviled by Republicans for kicking Trump off Facebook, the outcome shows how well Zuckerberg and Meta have restored a rapport.

“At the end of the day, we see the influence of these platforms is really powerful and they want to stop this legislation and any other tech legislation by any means necessary,” said Alix Fraser, vice president of technology reform at Issue One, an advocacy group that supports the Kids Online Safety Act.

Zuckerberg’s company Meta, the parent of Facebook and the photo-sharing site Instagram, led the way in opposing it. A team of 14 lobbyists employed directly by Meta, as well as outside firms, worked the issue, federal lobbying disclosure forms show. The advocates included past aides to House Republicans, including Greg Maurer, a former staffer to then-House GOP Leader John Boehner; Christopher Herndon, who worked for Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.); and Elizabeth Carroll, who was on the staff of former Rep. Scott Taylor (R-Va.).


https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/25/mark-zuckerberg-meta-congress-bill-00195958
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Mark Zuckerberg and Meta got a big win. They have the House GOP to thank. (Original Post) justaprogressive Dec 27 OP
If you're still using Facebook, you're complicit in this. Scrivener7 Dec 27 #1
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