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Analysis and Technology

Facebook grew so big that it destabilised the world. What now?

By Chelsea Whyte

6 December 2018

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says he wants to help connect people

SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty

What is Facebook good for? The company’s stated mission is to build community and bring the world closer together, but these days it often achieves the opposite.

The social network has been embroiled in controversy for allowing the spread of hate speech in Myanmar, facilitating misinformation that affected the outcomes of the 2016 US election and the UK Brexit vote, and damaging democratic norms around the world.

Now, the UK parliament has published internal emails from Facebook that reveal the mindset inside the company. They show…

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