The outgoing Facebook communications chief Elliot Schrage has taken responsibility for the controversial cooperation with a conservative PR firm. “The responsibility for these decisions lies with the leadership of the communications team,” said Schrage. “I am.”
A report from the New York Times had revealed that the online network had taken the services of the consulting company Definers. Definers are accused of having false information disseminated to Facebook-discredit critics. Among other things, it was about alleged Connections to the liberal American philanthropist and billionaire George Soros.
Schrage, who had announced in June his departure from the company, explained that Facebook had engaged Definers of 2017. The background was the growing pressure from competitors and the media calling for tighter regulation of Facebook.
Definers have dealt with Soros, after this Facebook have referred to as a “threat to society”. “We had not heard such criticism of him and wanted to determine whether he had financial motives,” said Schrage. Definers have found out that Soros is always met with hostility from right-wing populists all over the world, financiers, members of the campaign for freedom of Facebook – and this Information is shared with journalists, shared.
Facebook had already denied last week, to have Definers, the dissemination of false information in the order given. The cooperation with the PR-company was set up after the publication of the New York Times article.
Zuckerberg closes own resignation, despite crises
Facebook had this year a series of crises. So come in the spring to light, that the data of some 87 million users landed on the inside and users on the network in the case of the British company Cambridge Analytica and illegally for election campaign of present US President, Donald Trump had been used.
The reputation of the group, also suffered as a result of the abuse of its platform by alleged Russian actors in the US election in 2016. The pressure on troubled Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg ruled out on Tuesday a resignation of the head of the US group.