Are Zuckerberg and Musk the largest dictators?

According to 2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner - Philippines Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, “is a far smaller dictator compared to Mark Zuckerberg, and now let me throw in Elon Musk”.
30 May 2024
Image by CyberBeat

Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk have been labelled "the largest dictators" by Filipino and American journalist Maria Ressa.

Maria Ressa who was awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 for her defence of media freedom spoke at the  the Hay literary festival in Wales. She said Zuckerberg and Musk have “proven that we all, regardless of culture, language, or geography, have far more in common than we have differences because we’re all being manipulated the same way”.

She attributes their status to their ability to manipulate global audiences through their social media platforms which she claims change the way we feel, perceive the world and act. Ressa suggests that these platforms incite fear, anger, and hatred, causing personal and societal changes.

She also accused them of promoting contentious online debates that cause worldwide polarisation.

Additionally, she stated that deceptive information, often generated by poor-quality AI, is becoming prevalent on the internet.

As a countermeasure, Ressa suggests abolishing section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which gives internet companies protection against user-generated content lawsuits.

Furthermore, she advises parents to keep their children away from social media until attaining a suitable age. Ressa encourages people to reconnect with the real world and organise with kin and friends to combat information propagandas.

- CyberBeat

 

About CyberBeat

CyberBeat is a grassroots initiative from a team of producers and subject matter experts, driven out of frustration at the lack of media coverage, responding to an urgent need to provide a clear, concise, informative and educational approach to the growing fields of Cybersecurity and Digital Privacy.

Contact CyberBeat

If you have a story of interest, a comment, a concern or if you'd just like to say Hi, please contact us

Terms & Policies >>

Sponsors

We couldn't do this without the support of our sponsors and contributors.