Yahoo Finance Facebook accidentally hired a ‘bigot’ to audit its left-wing behaviour
Earlier this week, Facebook released the results of an external audit into the company’s alleged anti-conservative bias, and while the report says the company has made some progress in eliminating that bias, it also says they’ve got a long way to go.
The eight-page report followed claims by conservatives, including President Donald Trump, that staff were working to silence right-wing opinions on the platform, CNN reported.
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The report found Facebook had silenced some conservative voices on the platform, and some of the websites Facebook relies on for fact-checking or flagging misinformation are considered by conservatives to be left-wing.
But perhaps Facebook took one step towards eliminating left-wing bias too far: it hired notoriously right-wing former US senator of Arizona, Jon Kyl, to audit their behaviour.
Kyl maintains a relationship with groups like the Center for Security Policy, which has been labeled a hate group by Southern Poverty Law Center, and Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who has long-standing anti-Muslim views.
“He has a shocking record of bigotry,” Madihha Ahussain, special counsel for Muslim Advocates told Gizmodo.
And according to Ahussain, Facebook said “they weren’t aware of his record”.
“They indicated to us that they had no idea and that, in their process of vetting, or whatever process they undergo, they didn’t come across this.”
But Ahussain said Facebook knew what Senator Kyl’s record was, and they chose to have him lead the process anyway.
She said it undermines the relationship and the work Facebook has done with groups like hers in the civil rights community.
“It’s a complete disgrace,” she said.
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