Happy 20th birthday, Facebook… isn’t it now time you grew up?
When Mark Zuckerberg appeared before a Senate hearing about tech giants’ failure to keep children safe online, he was singled out for having ‘blood on his hands’ – not exactly the anniversary reception he was hoping for, says Sean O’Grady
They may be mighty, those new tech giants, the digital masters of the universe, their owners some of the richest people in the history of the world, and wielding vast power and influence over the lives of people who use their services – but they can still be forced to account for their actions and made to apologise for the harms they cause.
Take Mark Zuckerberg, for example, founder of Facebook and worth about $140bn – about 70 times more than King Charles, for example. This week, he ought to have been untroubled by pesky politicians while he celebrates the 20th birthday of his creation, now part of his even bigger group, Meta, which includes Instagram, Threads and the plotting politician’s favourite app, WhatsApp, each a substantial, global business in its own right.
Zuckerberg, nerdy as they come, would no doubt have been happiest back in the labs at Meta, inventing some new metaverse or just tucking into a slice of celebratory virtual cake.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies