Facebook Owner Takes Public Stand against Vaccine Refusers
By Brian Shilhavy, Health Impact News Editor
With medical and health authorities all across the United States beginning to take action to remove freedom of choice in refusing vaccines, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has taken a public position in the current vaccine debate, in what many in the media are reporting to be a direct attack against those who refuse or question vaccines:
Mark Zuckerberg just slammed the anti-vaccination movement – Business Insider
Mark Zuckerberg Is Sending a Message to the Anti-Vaccine Crowd – Yahoo Tech
Zuckerberg takes aim at vaccine deniers through his online book club – The Verge
Amar Toor of the Verge writes:
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has selected a decidedly pro-vaccine book for the latest installment of his online book club, following a report last week that pointed to surprisingly low vaccination rates at Silicon Valley daycares affiliated with Google and other tech companies. The book, On Immunity by Eula Bliss, examines and disarms the fear underpinning the anti-vaccine movement, based on Bliss’ personal experience with her young child.
Health Impact News recently published a book review of On Immunity by journalist Jennifer Margulis, which was originally published by The Washington Independent Review of Books, but subsequently removed by what Margulis claims was an act of censorship, because they did not want to hear both sides of the vaccine debate. So for another view of this book Mr. Zuckerberg has chosen to endorse see: How Journalists are Censored from Covering Both Sides of the Vaccine Debate.
Does this Pave the Way for Facebook to Censor Free Speech on Vaccines?
So what’s next for Zuckerberg and Facebook? Since Zuckerberg is apparently taking the position that “the science on vaccines is settled,” will he also take the corresponding position that Americans do not have a right to refuse vaccines, for “the greater good?”
Like technology billionaire and vaccine supporter Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg has enough money and influence to force people to adopt his position. His tax revenue alone provides billions to the U.S. Government and State of California, and he can give away up to half of his income by U.S. law to charitable organizations to avoid paying even more taxes.
This “philanthropy” coming out of Silicon Valley is creating what some are calling a “Brave New Economic Order.” Andrew Gumbel wrote earlier this week:
The trend is national but only in Silicon Valley do companies like Google or Apple have more money than local governments and spend accordingly. Zuckerberg and fiber optic telecommunications entrepreneur David Welch have become players in the education debate — not only because they want to, but because they can. They can outspend school districts and – especially in Welch’s case – outlawyer the teachers unions, which is a dramatic shift from standard democratic practice and perhaps more important than whether or not their cause is just. (Source.)
Zuckerberg is donating millions to schools and hospitals. What’s next? A new pro-vaccine policy for anything published on Facebook for “the greater good?”
Is Anything on Facebook Really Private?
While Facebook offers its users “private messaging” or “closed groups” and multiple “privacy” features to supposedly protect your privacy, is anything put on Facebook really private? Facebook has almost 10,000 employees, and their Privacy Policy, which is quite lengthy and subject to change at any time, can be found here. Have you ever taken the time to read it? Here are some quotes regarding their Privacy Policy that you agree to when you use Facebook:
We share information we have about you within the family of companies that are part of Facebook.
If the ownership or control of all or part of our Services or their assets changes, we may transfer your information to the new owner.
We work with third party companies who help us provide and improve our Services or who use advertising or related products, which makes it possible to operate our companies and provide free services to people around the world.
Here are the types of third parties we can share information with about you: (Source.)
I have been telling people for years that nothing you put on Facebook is guaranteed to be private, and that one should never put anything on Facebook that you do not want the whole world to know, even if you think that information is “private.”
Photo: Zuckerberg listening to President Barack Obama before a private meeting where Obama dined with technology business leaders in Woodside, California. Image from Wikimedia.
