Facebook to Continue Its Support for GOP Convention Despite Protests
Facebook confirmed that it will continue its support for the GOP Convention of the Republican Party in July 2016 despite open criticisms from liberal and progressive groups and even their own CEO Mark Zuckerberg's "veiled" criticism of Donald Trump's anti-migration stance. According to a report in The Guardian, the company will provide "financial and other support" to the Republican convention, the same way that it will provide support for the Democratic convention.
Facebook vice president of public policy said that the support that the company will provide for both conventions will help "facilitate an open dialogue among voters, candidates and elected officials during the conventions, just as it has during other critical moments in the U.S. elections and in elections around the world.
According to another report in The Verge, among the services that Facebook will provide to the conventions is a lounge, as well as exposure and tie-ins on the website and its apps. The company continued to insist their neutrality in the political debate, but like in any election in any part of the world, their website is able to keep its users informed and updated about the latest election news. Like Google, who is also supporting the convention through their live streaming services, Facebook is in a unique position to continue what it does best for its users – to provide a platform for sharing and exchanging news and information.
Activist group CREDO is one of the groups who have launched campaigns to stop technology companies such as Facebook and Google, and other corporations as well, from throwing support behind Trump and the Republican national convention. CREDO's political director Murshed Zaheed said that "it simply isn't possible for Facebook to financially support a Trump-led Republican convention without associating its brand with Donald Trump's hateful rhetoric."
Last month, Mark Zuckerberg criticized the anti-immigration rhetoric that Trump has been spouting in his campaign, saying that there were "fearful voices calling for building walls and distancing people they label as others," according to a report in Fortune.
