Why would Mark let Facebook be used for racist messages? Follow the money …
Cut through lies and deception to find the truth by “following the money“. The approach also helps understand Mark’s recent actions. DemLabs tracked the money, investors and forces at play with publicly available information and Kumu.
Background
Mark decided that Trump’s use of the phrase “When the looting starts, the shooting starts” was not a call to violence or a racist “dog whistle.” – Wired
“The lack of backbone, and this weak leadership, will be judged by history. Hate speech should never be compared to free speech,” one Facebook employee wrote. “The president (sic) is literally threatening for the National Guard to shoot citizens. Maybe when we’re in the middle of a race war the policy will change.” – NYT
How well do you know the billionaires behind Facebook?
1. Which Russian billionaire was an early investor in Facebook?
2. Mitch McConnell’s brother-in-law is a billionaire Facebook investor. True or False?
3. Which billionaire on the Trump’s transition team is on the board of Facebook?
4. Which Russian billionaire invested in both Jared Kushner and Facebook?
5. Which billionaire Facebook board member also supported far-right commentators?
Answers below.
Follow the money
Facebook Takes That $200 Million Investment From The Russians – TechCrunchPeter Thiel’s Palantir Wins Role in $823 Million Government Contract – Bloomberg
Jim Breyer, Mitch McConnell’s brother-in-law, Facilitates Russia’s Takeover of Facebook – Reddit
What is a relationship map?
Relationship maps reveal the web of relationships between people and organizations to reveal money flows and how people are influenced. Kumu, a free app helps understand the money and forces possibly at play behind Mark Zuckerberg’s recent actions. Here are three examples of the relationships that are easier to follow when displayed visually.
Take away
“Follow the money” was popularized in the film ‘All the President’s Men’. It suggests corruption can be brought to light by examining money transfers.
Create relationship maps with Kumu to follow the money and reveal the truth.
Deepak
Co-Founder, DemLabs
Answers:
1. Yuri Milner (Wired)
2. Jim Breyer (Reddit)
3. Peter Thiel (Vanity Fair)
4. Yuri Milner (The Daily Beast)
5. Marc Andreessen (Wikipedia)
