Facebook Forms PAC For Campaign Donations

Facebook is getting into the politics game, announcing that it plans to file paperwork to start its own political actions committee.

The announcement came after rumors, and then reports, of Facebook registering the domain names FBPAC.org and FBPAC.us. The PAC will allow Facebook to openly support candidates and to continue its visibility and presence in Washington.

“FB PAC will give our employees a way to make their voice heard in the political process by supporting candidates who share our goals of promoting the value of innovation to our economy while giving people the power to share and make the world more open and connected,” said a spokesman via email.

Reaction to the announcement was mixed, in large part because of ongoing questions about how Facebook handles users’ privacy and because of recent site re-design that opened more concerns of consumer protection violations and complaints by users that the new functions revealed more about themselves than they were comfortable with.

In many ways, the move was inevitable. Facebook, for good or for bad, is an inescapable presence in our current culture with 800 million users around the world. It is on the front-lines of key issues like net neutrality and information privacy rights. It wants to have a seat at the table in writing these laws and it has the money to do. Now it is up to Facebook’s users to make sure the positions Facebook advocates are in consumer’s best interests or leave the social networking giant for someplace that will.

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Photo from Tracy O via flickr.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Kirsten T.

7:15PM PDT on Oct 8, 2011

Scary, considering how much money they have, and how heavily Facebook is used for political networking.

send a green star

Lin M.

11:33PM PDT on Oct 4, 2011

I talk very rarely to real friends here. Do not add new friends unless I know them. It may be weeks till I go back in there. Games are good virus catchers so I leave them alone.

Marianna B M.

3:08PM PDT on Oct 3, 2011

its a social disease and i got infected. too late. too bad.

Todd K.

3:21AM PDT on Oct 3, 2011

Actually, facebook's user count is artificially inflated, because instead of "deleting" an account when a customer wishes to leave the site, they "deactivate" the account, and it remains there PERMANENTLY, so their user number statistics are guaranteed to ALWAYS rise, and NEVER fall.

They are also engaging the same plan that myspace used, which is the destruction or removal of any features or functions that the users actually used, enjoyed, or preferred.

The "groups rework" is a prime example of facebook adding the "anti" into "social networking."

Several months ago, people could send "group invitations" to the people in their list, and if those receiving the invitations decided to joina given group, they had the option to do so, or to ignore the invitation, and that was that. Today, you can "ask to join" as you could before, but now people can not "send invitations", and now you "add" someone to a group, and they no longer have any choice in accepting or denying it.

Before, you could simply say "Hmmm...I'll check it out..." and decide if the group was for you or not, but today, more people get annoyed, and either go to the group and remove themselves, or they MUST remove themselves from the group's MANDATORY GROUP CHAT and MANDATORY EMAIL OF EVERY POST made to the group.

And that's not even touching on the abuses of privacy that facebook continues to hide from it's users.

Remember: Whenever facebook implements any "new feature" on the site, they do not i

Lynn C.

7:31PM PDT on Oct 2, 2011

What's Facebook?

I wouldn't touch them with a ten-foot pole.

Lilithe M.

3:25PM PDT on Oct 2, 2011

Interesting - I am wary.

Patrick F.

1:56PM PDT on Oct 2, 2011

Facebook sucks!

Sylvia M.

1:08PM PDT on Oct 2, 2011

I have no real opinion on this but leaning towards a slight aversion to the entire thing. I don't care for facebook much. But I need points, so...post!

Ronald E.

11:43AM PDT on Oct 2, 2011

I don't respond to friend or like requests on FB at all.

John B.

11:40AM PDT on Oct 2, 2011

These PACs and Super PACs are just stupid. It is essentially saying let's hear where you stand on this issue and we will let you know if we like you by whether or not we throw money at you.
In any other country this is called bribery. It is extremely easy to have the basis of a PAC or Super PAC subverted.