Facebook critics pounced Wednesday connected a study the starring societal web plans to rename itself, arguing it whitethorn beryllium seeking to distract from caller scandals and controversy.
The study from website The Verge, which Facebook refused to confirm, said the embattled institution was aiming to amusement its ambition to beryllium much than a societal media site.
But an activistic radical calling itself The Real Facebook Oversight Board, warned large industries similar lipid and baccy had rebranded to "deflect attention" from their problems.
"Facebook thinks that a rebrand tin assistance them alteration the subject," said the group's statement, adding the "real issue" was the request for oversight and regulation.
Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone told AFP: "We don't person immoderate remark and aren't confirming The Verge's report."
The Verge cited an unnamed root noting the sanction would bespeak Facebook's efforts to physique the "metaverse", a virtual world mentation of the net that the tech elephantine sees arsenic the future.
Facebook connected Monday announced plans to prosecute 10,000 radical successful the European Union to physique the "metaverse", with CEO Mark Zuckerberg emerging arsenic a starring promoter of the concept.
The announcement comes arsenic Facebook grapples with the fallout of a damaging scandal, large outages of its services, and rising calls for regularisation to curb its immense influence.
The institution has faced a tempest of disapproval implicit the past period aft erstwhile worker Frances Haugen leaked interior studies showing Facebook knew its sites could beryllium harmful to young people's mental health.
The Washington Post past period suggested that Facebook's involvement successful the metaverse is "part of a broader propulsion to rehabilitate the company's estimation with policymakers and reposition Facebook to signifier the regularisation of next-wave Internet technologies."
Silicon Valley expert Benedict Evans argued a rebranding would disregard cardinal problems with the platform.
"If you springiness a breached merchandise a caller name, radical volition rather rapidly enactment retired that this caller marque has the aforesaid problems," helium tweeted.
"A amended 'rebrand' attack is mostly to hole the occupation archetypal and past make a caller marque reflecting the caller experience," helium added.
Google rebranded itself arsenic Alphabet successful a firm reconfiguration successful 2015, but the online hunt and advertisement powerhouse remains its defining portion contempt different operations specified arsenic Waymo self-driving cars and Verily beingness sciences.
© 2021 AFP
Citation: New sanction for Facebook? Critics outcry fume and mirrors (2021, October 20) retrieved 20 October 2021 from https://techxplore.com/news/2021-10-facebook-critics-mirrors.html
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