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And Finally Artist News Digital
Neil Young quits Facebook over social network’s funding of right-wing organisation
By Andy Malt | Published on Friday 22 November 2019
Neil Young has announced that he is ending his use of Facebook, in protest against its refusal to factcheck political advertising and its financial support of American right-wing organisation The Federalist Society.
In a post on his website last month, Young said that he was considering leaving the social network after it said that it would not ensure that political advertising was free from lies. Although he noted that doing so would mean “we would lose communications with millions”. However, after it emerged that Facebook had sponsored an event held by the Federalist Society, he decided that it was a hit worth taking.
“Facebook is facing criticism for sponsoring the annual gala of the Federalist Society, the powerful right-wing organisation behind the nomination of the conservative supreme court justice Brett Kavanaugh”, he wrote in a new post on his Neil Young Archives website. “This turn of events, in addition to the false information regularly supplied to the public on Facebook, with its knowledge, has caused us to re-evaluate and change our use policy”.
He continued: “I don’t feel that a social site should be making obvious commitments to one side of politics or the other. It further confuses readers regarding truthfulness in coverage and message. NYA [is] no longer interested in further links with Facebook [and] will be discontinuing [its] use”.
Earlier this month, Young announced that his application to become a US citizen was being delayed, apparently due to his marijuana use. The Canadian-born musician has said that he wants to gain US citizenship now – having lived in the country for decades – in order to vote in the upcoming presidential election.
