Facebook’s new best friends are a weakening link – ZAWYA

Facebook’s new best friends are a weakening link – ZAWYA

Facebook's new best friends are a weakening link | ZAWYA MENA Edition HomeBusinessTechnologyArticleFacebook's new best friends are a weakening link Facebook is in damage-control mode after hundreds of businesses said they would stop marketing on the platform    Facebook logos are seen on a screen in this picture illustration taken December 2, 2019.(The authors are Reuters Breakingviews columnists. The opinions expressed are their own.)SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK - Facebook's  new best friends are becoming a weakening link at the worst time. Small firms account for a large chunk of the social network's $70 billion in annual advertising revenue. The pandemic has also made them more dependent on the platform just as big companies from Ford Motor F.N to Unilever boycott it. But these minnows could flounder just when Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg needs them most.Facebook is in damage-control mode after hundreds of businesses said they would stop marketing on the platform. Civil-rights groups called for the boycott in June after the $686 billion firm refused to take down hateful content. Some of them, including the Anti-Defamation League, met virtually with Zuckerberg on Tuesday, describing the online confab as disappointing and lacking in commitments.SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK - Facebook's  new best friends are