BALTIMORE (October 21, 2019)—The NAACP joined the National Action Network (NAN) and the National Urban League (NUL) in calling out Facebook over ongoing concerns regarding the platforms’ repeated shortcomings in safeguarding users against unregulated influence from bad actors, both foreign and domestic. Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), along with Rev. Al Sharpton, President and Founder of National Action Network (NAN), and Marc Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League (NUL), jointly signed the letter and delivered it to Zuckerberg via email on Friday, October 18, 2019.
In December 2018, the NAACP led a #LogOutFacebook digital protest in response to the Tech company’s history of lack of concern for privacy, complicity in the spread of misinformation and the utilization of Facebook for propaganda promoting disingenuous portrayals of African Americans.
“The repeated offense of allowing bad actors and partisan firms to target users of colors and the most vulnerable reveal an egregious habit and dangerous characteristic of Mark Zuckerburg and his company,” said Derrick Johnson, president and CEO. “We cannot afford nor tolerate another attempt to dismantle our nation through improper political interference and manipulation.”
Read the full text of the letter below:
Dear Mr. Zuckerberg,
National Action Network (NAN), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the National Urban League (NUL) would like to meet with you in person as soon as possible to discuss our concerns as Civil Rights leaders regarding issues of election security and voter suppression tactics. Bad actors have identified the Black community as strategic targets on Facebook’s platform to propagate racial division and have implemented unregulated influence campaigns that weaponize a deeply painful racial experience in this country to marginalize our community, our voices, and our votes.
Our concerns are urgent. Please provide dates of your immediate availability in your response.
Signed,
Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder & President, National Action Network (NAN)
Derrick Johnson, President and CEO, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Marc Morial, President & CEO, National Urban League (NUL)
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Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and our six “Game Changer” issue areas here.
