Peter du Toit

Sep 262 min read

On a personal note...

I am just archiving this note I left on the last Facebook Group that I was active on due to Covid:

Last year when the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke and we got to learn how this impacted the American election in 2016 and the British Brexit vote etc. — as explained in The Great Hack documentary — we made a decision to stop using Facebook for our business. At the same time I also undertook the arduous task of removing all my personal data from the platform and dramatically reduced my participation here. (We kept our business page [and I my personal profile] as placeholders.)

Fast forward to early September 2020 and the release of The Social Dilemma documentary

We have all witnessed first hand, how the themes discussed in this documentary have played out in real-time right here in the Garden Route where we have seen the algorithms expose people to conspiracy theories about the pandemic, masks and the science which is meant to keep people safe.

As a result of these issues I am stepping away from participating on all Facebook properties until they take responsibility to fix the problem they have created. (See this week’s congressional testimony from ex Facebook employee Tim Kendall during this hearing)

It’s been interesting (and fascinating) interacting with you all here! Please stay safe as you navigate what comes next and do everything in your power to:

1) Not fall prey to misinformation (Learn how here) and

2) Remember to let the data guide you (See: The ultimate guide to Covid-19 data)

If you want to connect with me elsewhere you will find me on LinkedIn and on Twitter

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