Isla Fisher issued a harsh rebuke of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, calling him out in a recent interview for profiting off the rhetoric on the site that she believes led to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol building.
The 45-year-old actress spoke to Marie Claire magazine for a recent interview in which the conversation turned to politics, a subject that she and her husband, “Borat” star Sacha Baron Cohen, are familiar with. In the interview, she pulled no punches in calling out Facebook for playing home to “conspiracy theories” and “lies that cost lives” that she believes have led to violent acts like the Jan. 6 riot.
“It is something that we all need to be as proactive as possible about right now. It was clearly the spread of online conspiracy theories that led to the storming of Capitol Hill,” she told the outlet (via The Daily Mail).
The Jan. 6 riot saw hundreds of Donald Trump supporters gather for a rally that ultimately turned violent as they breached the security at the U.S. Capitol building and briefly delayed the certification of the electoral votes for Joe Biden. Five people died as a result of the riot. In February, the Justice Department announced more than 300 people have been charged for their participation in the deadly event.
“And people like Mark Zuckerberg are making money off lies that cost lives, and these social media companies should be creating jobs that save lives,” Fisher said. “No account on social media should incite violence, or spread hate or false information.”
Although companies like Facebook take measures to moderate the content that’s put on their platforms, Fisher believes a lot more can be done to combat false information that could lead to violent or deadly action by those who consume it.
“I think these companies can afford to hire moderators to prevent misinformation being spread, and to save lives,” the “Wedding Crashers” star concluded.
Isla’s comments come at a time when Facebook is under heightened scrutiny stemming from its decision to uphold a ban on Trump from the platform over the Capitol riots.
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Facebook’s Oversight Board on Wednesday upheld Trump’s ban from Facebook and Instagram, but said it was “not appropriate” to impose the “indeterminate and standardless penalty of indefinite suspension.”
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“The board has upheld Facebook’s decision on Jan. 7, 2021, to restrict then-President Donald Trump’s access to posting content on his Facebook page and Instagram account,” the board said in a statement.