Dear John,

Facebook is too big, too powerful, and too dangerous. It's time to break it up—click here to sign the petition now.

A whistleblower has just revealed revealed what many of us have known: Facebook executives prioritize profit over public good—whether the social network’s devastating impact supports genocides, leads to depression among teenagers, induces violence against people of color, spreads disinformation about COVID-19, or incites attacks against our democracy.¹

Then when Facebook's service was interrupted for hours, it also took down Instagram and WhatsApp, which is a major network of communication in many developing nations—showing again how the concentration of power in one corporation can have truly crippling impact on communities and the economy.²

These two stories—and so many others of the abuse enabled by Facebook against vulnerable communities, small businesses, and democracy itself—all point to one conclusion: For the public good, it's time to break up Facebook.

Take action: Add your name to the petition pressing the Biden administration and Congress to break up Facebook by spinning off Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger into competing networks and imposing strong privacy rules to protect us.

Sign Now

In the past, the U.S. government has acted to break up corporations that had grown too big and whose monopolistic power distorted the free market or harmed consumers. From transit to telecomm, breaking up concentrated corporate power is a tried-and-true American tradition.³

Facebook has reached that level. Its reach gives it the power to distort public discourse. Its concentration of platforms suppresses competition. Its addictive nature harms vulnerable users. It allows for the vast and rapid promulgation of disinformation, hate speech, and incitement to violence. It is functioning as an essential utility in many countries without any of the public oversight and accountability. And it does it all while turning our private information into unprecedented profits for its unaccountable executives.

It’s not enough for Facebook to pledge to reform. It's the role and responsibility of the government—of Congress, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Justice—to use their power to break up Facebook, and to legislate and regulate in defense of our democracy, safety and privacy.

Click here to sign the petition calling on the Biden administration and Congress that it's time to break up Facebook—and then pass it along to your friends.

Thanks for all you do,

– MoveOn

P.S. This petition was created on MoveOn.org, where anyone can start their own online petitions. You can start your own petition to push for progressive change here.

Sources:

1. "Facebook whistleblower revealed on '60 Minutes,' says the company prioritized profit over public good," CNN, October 4, 2021 https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/03/tech/facebook-whistleblower-60-minutes/index.html

2. "Facebook, WhatsApp outage an annoyance for U.S., but a big deal in rest of the world," NBC News, October 5, 2021 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/facebook-whatsapp-outage-annoyance-u-s-big-deal-rest-world-n1280785

3. "Antitrust Laws: A Brief History," Federal Trade Commission, accessed October 6, 2021 https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/games/off-site/youarehere/pages/pdf/FTC-Competition_Antitrust-Laws.pdf

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG CIVIC ACTION, https://front.moveon.org/about-moveon-civic-action/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.