 | |
| Type of site | Social networking service |
| Founded | February 4, 2004 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US |
| Available in | 112 languages |
| Founders |
|
| Area served | Worldwide, except blocking countries |
| Users |  2.94 billion monthly active users (as of 31 March 2022) |
| CEO | Mark Zuckerberg |
| Registration | Required (to do any activity |
| Launched | February 4, 2004 |
| Current status | Active |
| Written in | C++, Hack (as HHVM) and PHP |
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by Meta, a U.S.-based technology conglomerate. It was created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg along with four other Harvard College students: Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes. The platform's name comes from the "face book" directories commonly distributed to American university students. Initially, Facebook was exclusive to Harvard students but gradually expanded to other North American universities. Since 2006, anyone aged 13 or older has been able to register, with a few exceptions where the minimum age is 14.
As of December 2023, Facebook boasted nearly 3.07 billion monthly active users globally. By November 2024, it ranked as the third-most-visited website worldwide, with 23% of its traffic coming from the United States. During the 2010s, it was also the most downloaded mobile app.
Facebook can be accessed on devices with internet connectivity, such as personal computers, tablets, and smartphones. Upon registering, users create profiles with personal information and can post text, photos, and multimedia, sharing them with friends or the public based on privacy settings. Users can also interact directly through Messenger, edit messages within 15 minutes of sending, join interest-based groups, and receive notifications about their friends' activities and the pages they follow.
The platform has been the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits, facing criticism for issues such as user privacy violations (notably the Cambridge Analytica scandal), political manipulation (particularly surrounding the 2016 U.S. elections), and mass surveillance. It has also faced backlash for its psychological impact, including addiction and low self-esteem, as well as for hosting harmful content like fake news, conspiracy theories, copyright infringement, and hate speech. Critics have accused Facebook of enabling the spread of such content and inflating its user numbers to attract advertisers.
History of Facebook
The Early Years: Facemash and TheFacebook (2003-2004)
Mark Zuckerberg, the co-creator of Facebook, first built a website called "Facemash" in 2003 while attending Harvard University. The site was similar to "Hot or Not" and allowed users to rate the attractiveness of others using photos from online face books. After facing backlash, Zuckerberg was reported for violating Harvard's policies and almost expelled, though the charges were eventually dropped.
In January 2004, Zuckerberg created a new website called "TheFacebook." The site was modeled after student directories, or "face books," which contained photos and personal information of students. Zuckerberg met with fellow Harvard student Eduardo Saverin, and they both invested $1,000 into the project. On February 4, 2004, they officially launched "TheFacebook."
Expansion and Investment (2004-2005)
Initially, the platform was available only to Harvard College students. Zuckerberg was soon joined by Dustin Moskovitz, Andrew McCollum, and Chris Hughes, who helped manage its rapid growth. The site expanded to other universities in the U.S. and Canada, and by 2004, it gained the attention of Sean Parker, co-founder of Napster, who became the company’s president. Facebook also secured its first investment from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel.
In 2005, the company dropped the "the" from its name after purchasing the domain name Facebook.com.
Opening to Everyone and Key Developments (2006-2007)
In 2006, Facebook opened its doors to anyone aged 13 or older with a valid email address. The introduction of key features, like the News Feed, further increased user engagement. By late 2007, Facebook had 100,000 pages used by companies for promotion. By this time, Facebook had surpassed MySpace in global traffic, making it the world’s most popular social media platform. Microsoft purchased a 1.6% share of Facebook for $240 million, valuing the company at around $15 billion.
Going Public and Acquisitions (2012-2014)
Facebook’s growth was propelled by a revenue model focused on targeted advertising based on user data. In 2012, the company went public, with one
of the largest IPOs in tech history. That same year, Facebook acquired Instagram, followed by WhatsApp and Oculus VR in 2014, significantly expanding its reach into messaging and virtual reality.
Controversies and Data Scandals (2018)
In 2018, Facebook faced the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which user data was misused for political purposes, sparking global outrage. The company also came under scrutiny for its role in global events, such as its involvement in organizing movements like the Arab Spring and its negative impact on incidents like the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar.
Rebranding as Meta (2021)
In 2021, Facebook rebranded itself as Meta, signaling a shift towards building the "metaverse" and investing in virtual reality and augmented reality technologies.
Features of Facebook
Facebook offers a variety of features designed to connect users and provide a space for sharing content and engaging with others.
Posts and Content Sharing
Facebook posts can contain an unlimited number of characters and support images and videos. Users have the flexibility to create and share posts with different privacy settings, including making them public, visible only to friends, shared with specific groups, or limited to selected individuals.
Friendship and Privacy
On Facebook, users can "friend" others, but both parties must agree to the connection. This feature allows users to build their network of contacts. Privacy settings allow users to control who can see their posts, whether it's everyone (public), only friends, people in specific groups, or just selected individuals.
Groups
Users can join groups based on shared interests, such as sports, hobbies, or neighborhood communities. These groups provide a space for users to interact with like-minded individuals. Posts made within a group can only be seen by members, unless set to public.
Marketplace and Buy/Sell Groups
Facebook features a Marketplace where users can buy, sell, or swap items. Additionally, users can participate in Buy, Swap, and Sell groups, offering a platform for local or niche trading of goods.
Events and Advertising
Facebook allows users to advertise events, both online and offline. Events can be organized within Facebook or linked to external websites. This feature helps users share activities and gather attendees for personal, professional, or social events.
Website Overview
This section explores various technical aspects of Facebook, including its history, user profiles, features, and infrastructure.
Technical Aspects and Development
Facebook's site primarily features a blue color scheme, chosen by Mark Zuckerberg due to his red-green color blindness. Initially built with PHP for rapid development, Facebook's architecture was optimized over time to address performance and scalability issues. Notably, Facebook created the HipHop Virtual Machine (HHVM) to improve PHP code execution. In 2011, the site transitioned from HTTP to HTTPS for enhanced security.
Facebook's back-end architecture includes a monolithic application compiled into a 1.5 GB binary blob. The company's engineers developed a custom BitTorrent-based release system for deploying updates without downtime. Facebook utilizes various technologies such as HBase, Scribe, and Ptail to handle and process user data in real-time, ensuring a seamless experience for millions of users.
User Profiles and Personal Timeline
Each Facebook user has a personal profile featuring posts, content, and interactions. The "Timeline" feature, launched in 2011, presents a chronological feed of user stories, including status updates, photos, and events. Facebook also offers additional privacy controls to help users manage their content's visibility. The "Usernames" feature, introduced in 2009, allows users to personalize their URLs for easier sharing.
News Feed
The News Feed, a central feature of Facebook, displays updates on profile changes, upcoming events, and friends' birthdays. Initially met with resistance from users, it evolved over time to offer more control over what content is shared. The sorting of stories in News Feed is managed by the EdgeRank algorithm, which prioritizes the most relevant content for each user. Facebook also introduced patent-protected features such as photo tagging and the ability to share updates with friends through various mechanisms.
Multimedia and Interactive Features
Facebook continually innovates with multimedia features. The Photos application lets users upload albums, tag friends, and set privacy settings. In 2017, Facebook introduced "3D Posts" for interactive content, and in 2018, the company redesigned the News Feed to focus more on content from friends and family rather than media companies. The platform also rolled out Instant Articles for faster news consumption and Stories, a short-form video/photo feature inspired by Snapchat and Instagram.
Advertising and Content Licensing
Facebook relies heavily on targeted advertising, using data from user interactions to deliver personalized ads. In 2020, Facebook pledged $1 billion to license news content, following increasing global scrutiny over its role in distributing news without compensating publishers. Despite challenges, including Apple's opt-in tracking policy changes in 2021, Facebook's advertising model remains a core part of its revenue generation strategy.
Like Button
The Facebook "Like" button, introduced on February 9, 2009, allows users to interact with status updates, photos, videos, and links shared by others. When clicked, the content is more likely to appear in friends' News Feeds. Initially, the Like button applied to posts, and in June 2010, it was extended to comments. In February 2016, Facebook expanded the Like feature to include "Reactions," with five predefined emotions: "Love," "Haha," "Wow," "Sad," and "Angry." A "Care" reaction was added in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Instant Messaging: Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger began as Facebook Chat in 2008 and evolved into a standalone mobile app in 2011. Messenger allows users to send one-to-one or group text messages, as well as voice and video calls. The app also supports features like SMS integration on Android, "Chat Heads," end-to-end encryption, and games. Notably, Messenger introduced "Messenger Day" in 2017, allowing users to share disappearing photos and videos in a story format. In 2020, Messenger added "Messenger Rooms" for video chats with up to 50 people.
Privacy Policy
Facebook's data policy outlines how user data is collected, stored, and shared. Targeted advertising is a major source of Facebook's revenue, and the platform analyzes user data to tailor ads. While Facebook doesn't share personally identifiable information with advertisers, it provides demographic and interest-based reports. The company also outlines that third-party apps and websites integrated with Facebook may access shared data, including public profiles and activities. Facebook claims to restrict developers' access to user data after a period of inactivity.
Bug Bounty Program
Facebook introduced its Bug Bounty Program on July 29, 2011, to reward security researchers for identifying vulnerabilities in the platform. Researchers who report security holes receive monetary compensation, with a minimum of $500. This initiative has led to a global community of "white hat" hackers who help improve Facebook's security.
Reception
Facebook’s rapid growth began immediately after its launch and continued through 2018, before starting to see a decline. By 2008, Facebook surpassed 100 million registered users, and by July 2010, the platform had 500 million users. The company reported that half of these users engaged with Facebook daily, spending an average of 34 minutes on the site, and 150 million accessed it via mobile. In October 2012, Facebook reached one billion monthly active users, with 600 million mobile users. By June 2017, Facebook crossed the 2 billion mark.
However, between 2017 and 2019, the percentage of U.S. users over the age of 12 dropped from 67% to 61%, a decrease of about 15 million users, especially among younger Americans. This coincided with a rise in the popularity of Instagram, which is owned by Meta. In the last quarter of 2021, Facebook experienced its first decline in daily active users, but numbers increased again in the following quarter despite the platform being banned in Russia.
Despite this, Facebook has faced speculation about its potential decline, based on challenges like user base decline, legal issues, and competition from other platforms.
Userbase
Facebook's global user base as of 2023 remains the highest in India, followed by the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines. In 2018, the highest number of users came from the Asia-Pacific region (947 million), followed by Europe (381 million) and the US-Canada region (242 million). The rest of the world had 750 million users.
Over the decade from 2008 to 2018, Facebook saw a decrease in the percentage of users under the age of 34, which fell to less than half of its total user base.
Censorship
Facebook has faced temporary, intermittent, or permanent blocks in several countries, including Brazil, China, Iran, Vietnam, Pakistan, Syria, and North Korea. In May 2018, Papua New Guinea's government announced plans to block Facebook for a month to evaluate its impact, though no ban was ultimately enacted. Additionally, in 2019, Facebook began enforcing a ban on users promoting vape, tobacco products, and weapons on the platform, including influencers.
Criticisms and Controversies
Facebook's immense influence and scale have led to various criticisms and controversies in multiple domains, from privacy violations to harmful content spread across the platform.
Key Statements
- Frances Haugen’s Testimony (2021): Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, condemned the platform, stating that Facebook's leadership knowingly prioritized astronomical profits over people's well-being, particularly regarding children, divisiveness, and democracy.
- Mark Zuckerberg's Response (2021): Mark Zuckerberg responded by emphasizing that he believed private companies should not make all decisions on their own and advocated for updated internet regulations to address issues like harmful content, privacy, elections, and competition.
Major Criticisms
Facebook has faced numerous criticisms, including:
- Privacy Concerns: Issues related to how Facebook handles user privacy, its facial recognition technology, and data retention practices.
- Addictiveness: The platform has been criticized for its addictive nature and harmful psychological effects on users.
- Censorship: Facebook has been accused of censorship, but also of allowing illegal, offensive, and harmful content, including fake news, hate speech, and violent content.
- Tax Avoidance: Facebook has been accused of avoiding taxes, reportedly using offshore companies to avoid billions in taxes.
Social and Psychological Impact
Facebook has been accused of having harmful psychological effects, including feelings of jealousy, stress, and social media addiction. Critics argue that the platform can lead to attention deficits and contributes to mental health issues.
Privacy and Data Handling
Facebook has been involved in multiple privacy controversies:
- PRISM Program: Facebook was implicated in the PRISM program, sharing user data with the NSA.
- FTC Settlements: Facebook has been fined for failing to keep privacy promises, including a 2011 settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.
- Data Breaches: Facebook experienced multiple data breaches, including incidents in 2018 and 2019 where personal data of millions of users was exposed.
Racial Bias and Discrimination
Facebook has faced allegations of systemic racial bias, particularly in its hiring practices. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) began investigating Facebook in 2021 after complaints of racial discrimination in the company’s hiring processes.
Shadow Profiles
Facebook has been criticized for creating "shadow profiles," which refer to the data collected about individuals who are not Facebook users, through various means such as the "Like" button on third-party websites. This practice has led to concerns about involuntary data collection, as non-users are also profiled without consent.
Cambridge Analytica Scandal
The Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018 revealed that user data from over 87 million Facebook users was improperly harvested by a political data analysis firm for political manipulation. Facebook initially downplayed the breach but later acknowledged its seriousness and implemented changes to its data-sharing practices.
DataSpii Leak
In 2019, a data leak known as DataSpii exposed millions of private Facebook photos and Messenger attachments through compromised browser extensions. This breach exploited Facebook’s URL-sharing system, enabling private data to be accessed by third parties. This highlighted ongoing concerns about Facebook's security practices and data vulnerability.
Ongoing Regulatory and Legal Challenges
Facebook continues to face legal challenges, including ongoing investigations related to its privacy practices and monopolistic behaviors. The company has faced scrutiny from various governments and consumer advocacy groups, particularly concerning its handling of personal data, advertising, and content moderation.
Facebook has faced numerous security breaches over the years, including significant incidents that have compromised user data:
2018 Data Breach: On September 28, 2018, Facebook revealed a breach that exposed data from 50 million users. The breach began in July 2017 but was discovered in September 2018, leading to users being logged out of their accounts.
2019 Password Breach: In March 2019, Facebook admitted that millions of Facebook Lite users' passwords, along with Instagram users' passwords, were stored in plain text instead of being encrypted, potentially accessible by Facebook employees.
2019 Exposed Database: In December 2019, a database with over 267 million Facebook user IDs, phone numbers, and names was found exposed online, accessible without authentication.
2021 Data Breach: In April 2021, it was reported that data from approximately half a billion users, including birthdates and phone numbers, had been stolen and released. Facebook claimed this data was old, dating back to 2019, but it only surfaced in 2021.
2024 Fine: In September 2024, Meta, Facebook's parent company, paid a $101 million fine for storing up to 600 million Facebook and Instagram users' passwords in plain text, an issue discovered in 2019 but spanning back to 2012.
These breaches, along with ongoing criticisms regarding privacy and data handling, have raised concerns about Facebook’s ability to safeguard user information.
Political Manipulation on Social Media
Social media platforms, particularly Facebook, have been targeted by political operatives to manipulate public opinion. These activities often violate platform policies, leading to accusations of "coordinated inauthentic behavior" and the spread of both support and attacks. Some of these campaigns are scripted or funded, and many have been exposed in recent years, with the most notable being the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.
Influence Operations and Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior
In 2018, Facebook identified widespread "coordinated inauthentic behavior" across multiple regions, including the United States, the Middle East, Russia, and the UK. These operations were designed to stir political debate. Political parties and government-backed organizations, such as the British intelligence unit Joint Threat Research Intelligence Group, Israel's Jewish Internet Defense Force, China's 50 Cent Party, and Turkey's AK Trolls, have used social media for cyberattacks and propaganda.
In a 2018 report, the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) noted a significant increase in social media manipulation, with countries utilizing these tactics growing from 28 to 48 globally. Much of this growth was attributed to political parties spreading disinformation, particularly during election periods. In 2018, Facebook banned numerous accounts and pages for engaging in such activities.
Disinformation Campaigns
Facebook has faced scrutiny for its role in disinformation campaigns. In December 2018, The Washington Post reported that Jonathon Morgan, CEO of the social media firm New Knowledge, had been involved in spreading disinformation during the 2017 Alabama Senate special election. Facebook also removed 783 Iranian accounts, pages, and groups for engaging in "coordinated inauthentic behavior."
Private intelligence agencies, such as Tel Aviv-based Archimedes Group, have also been linked to political interference in several countries, including Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia, where fake accounts were used to spread political influence.
Countermeasures Against Abuse
Facebook has taken steps to address deceptive political propaganda and other abuses on its platform. In 2019, it removed over 1,800 accounts linked to Russia, Thailand, Ukraine, and Honduras. The company also began detecting fake accounts using artificial intelligence, removing more than 3.39 billion fake accounts between October 2018 and March 2019.
Despite these efforts, Facebook continued to face challenges, including the blocking of its platform by Russia in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine. The company also faced legal challenges in Thailand, where the government demanded the removal of a Facebook group, Royalist Marketplace, which had one million members.
Facebook's Role in the 2020 U.S. Election and Beyond
Ahead of the 2020 U.S. elections, Eastern European troll farms utilized Facebook to spread divisive content aimed at specific demographic groups. Facebook's algorithms amplified this content, allowing it to reach millions of users, despite the company's attempts to curb such activities.
During the 2021 U.S. Capitol attack, Facebook's role was scrutinized as some operatives used the platform to foment violence and organize protests.
Russian Interference in U.S. Politics
2016 U.S. Presidential Election
In 2018, Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russian nationals and three organizations for attempting to influence U.S. political processes, including the 2016 presidential election. Mueller's investigation revealed that Russian operatives, linked to the Internet Research Agency (IRA) and Russian intelligence, had spent over $100,000 on ads to sway U.S. voters.
Facebook's chief security officer, Alex Stamos, disclosed that the platform had identified $100,000 worth of ads, linked to around 470 inauthentic accounts and pages, that were likely operated out of Russia. Russian operatives exploited divisions within the U.S. population, organizing rallies and events for both pro- and anti-Clinton and Trump camps, as well as targeting Black Lives Matter activists.
Post-2016 Developments
After the 2016 election, Facebook faced criticism for its slow response to Russian interference. The company later cooperated with Mueller’s investigation and provided information on Russian ads. In 2019, Facebook removed accounts linked to the Russian state-owned news agency Sputnik for spreading disinformation. The company's reluctance to investigate the Russian government's abuse of its platform was a key point of contention, with the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport labeling Facebook as "digital gangsters."
The Role of Russian-American Business Interests
Yuri Milner, a Russian-American billionaire, was linked to Facebook’s growth through investments backed by the Kremlin. Milner’s connections to Zuckerberg have raised concerns regarding the potential influence of Russian money on social media platforms.
Despite the removal of several accounts, Facebook continued to grapple with the impact of foreign interference. The company's efforts to address coordinated campaigns have been criticized for their lack of effectiveness, with many operatives still active and utilizing the platform for political manipulation.
Anti-Rohingya Propaganda
See also: Persecution of Muslims in Myanmar
In 2018, Facebook took action against a network linked to the Myanmar military, removing 536 Facebook pages, 17 Facebook groups, 175 Facebook accounts, and 16 Instagram accounts, which were collectively followed by over 10 million users. This decision came after extensive reports regarding anti-Rohingya propaganda on the platform. The New York Times highlighted that Facebook's delayed response had contributed to the ongoing crisis, during which over 700,000 Rohingya people fled Myanmar in what was described by the United Nations as "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing."
Anti-Muslim Propaganda and Hindu Nationalism in India
In 2019, the book The Real Face of Facebook in India, co-authored by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Cyril Sam, argued that Facebook had played a role in enabling the rise of Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India. Facebook’s involvement has been criticized, especially after Ankhi Das, the policy director for India and South and Central Asia, publicly apologized in August 2020 for sharing a controversial post about Muslims in India. This post was perceived as reflecting support for the BJP, and Das was also reported to have interfered with internal efforts to take action against anti-Muslim content.
In 2020, Facebook executives overruled recommendations to ban BJP politician T. Raja Singh, who had made inflammatory remarks on the platform about Muslims, including threats of violence. Facebook’s inaction on these matters raised concerns that the company was prioritizing its business interests in India over addressing harmful rhetoric. Later in the year, the Delhi Assembly began investigating Facebook's role in the 2020 religious riots in the city. It accused the platform of playing a part in fueling violence by not curbing hate speech and disinformation. Facebook’s response included challenging the summons to appear before the committee, citing issues of jurisdiction and legal authority.
On September 23, 2023, it was revealed that Facebook had delayed removing a disinformation network associated with India's Chinar Corps, citing concerns that doing so could lead to retaliation against its local employees and damage its business prospects in the country.
Company Governance
Roger McNamee, an early investor in Facebook, criticized the company for having "the most centralized decision-making structure" he had encountered in a large organization. Nathan Schneider, a media studies professor, proposed transforming Facebook into a user-governed cooperative. Chris Hughes, another co-founder of Facebook, also voiced concerns over Zuckerberg’s unchecked power, advocating for the company’s breakup into smaller entities. He and other politicians have raised alarms about the monopolistic nature of Facebook's dominance, with European regulators like Margrethe Vestager suggesting that breaking up Facebook should be a last resort, as it would not necessarily solve the underlying issues.
Customer Support
Facebook has faced criticism for its lack of effective human customer support. Users whose personal or business accounts are breached often find it difficult to regain access without resorting to legal action or small claims court. This has led to frustration and calls for improved customer service mechanisms.
Litigation
Facebook has been involved in several high-profile lawsuits. Notably, the company was sued by BlackBerry in 2018 for allegedly copying key features of its messaging app. Additionally, Facebook faced a lawsuit from a Texas woman who claimed that she was recruited into the sex trade through a man she met on the platform. In 2019, British solicitors filed a suit on behalf of a bullied Syrian schoolboy, accusing Facebook of failing to remove harmful content involving prominent figures. Facebook’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp also prompted antitrust lawsuits from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a coalition of state governments, who alleged that the acquisitions were anticompetitive and weakened privacy protections for users.
In 2022, France's CNIL fined Facebook €60 million for not allowing users an easy way to refuse cookies. In December 2022, the Quebec Court of Appeal approved a class-action lawsuit against Facebook for discriminatory advertising practices. The lawsuit claimed that Facebook's "micro-targeting" ads, which filtered users based on factors such as age, gender, and race, led to discrimination, especially in the job and housing sectors. The case could potentially involve thousands of Quebec residents and may have significant implications for Facebook's future operations in Canada.
Finally, in 2023, the California Courts of Appeal ruled that Facebook could be sued under the Unruh Civil Rights Act for discriminatory advertising practices, adding to the company's ongoing legal challenges related to its policies and operations.
Facebook has had a significant impact on various aspects of society, economy, and culture:
Economy
Facebook's platform has contributed to the economy by enabling the growth of many businesses, particularly in sectors like social gaming and online communications. For example, its development platform helped businesses like Zynga Inc. thrive, adding thousands of jobs to the global economy. As of 2011, Facebook's platform was estimated to have created over 182,000 jobs in the U.S., with an economic value of approximately $12 billion.
In terms of environmental impact, Facebook has committed to reducing its carbon footprint, achieving net-zero emissions by 2021, supported entirely by renewable energy.
Society
Facebook's influence on society has been profound. It is one of the largest social networks, with over 44% of Americans using it as a primary source for news. However, its platform has also been associated with growing political polarization and an increase in "fake news" and extreme viewpoints. The company's algorithms have been criticized for amplifying these issues, which contributed to events such as the 2015 Rohingya refugee crisis and political unrest.
Mental and Emotional Health
Research has shown both positive and negative effects of Facebook on emotional health. On the negative side, it can cause envy and dissatisfaction, particularly when users compare their lives to the idealized images shared by others. However, it can also foster "virtual empathy" and assist in social skills development for introverted individuals.
Politics
Facebook has played a major role in political movements, particularly during the Arab Spring, when it was a key tool for organizing protests. It has also been involved in political advertising, with its platform being used for targeted messaging in various elections. However, it has faced criticism for enabling the spread of misinformation, particularly regarding the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
In India, Facebook has been used as a tool for political interference, with pages linked to both Pakistani military interests and Indian political groups being removed for coordinated inauthentic behavior.
Culture
Facebook has also made a significant cultural impact. It inspired the 2010 film The Social Network, which dramatized the founding of Facebook and the controversies surrounding it. The platform’s influence is evident in popular culture, with the term "unfriend" being named the 2009 Word of the Year.
Environment and Initiatives
Facebook has also taken steps to address global issues like internet access and climate change. It founded Internet.org in 2013, a project aimed at providing affordable internet access in underdeveloped countries, though it faced opposition in some regions like India. In 2021, Facebook committed to reducing disinformation about climate change and launched an information hub to support this initiative.
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