Best-selling author Stephen King has announced that he quit Facebook after airing his concerns over false information and privacy.
In a tweet, Stephen King said: “I’m quitting Facebook. Not comfortable with the flood of false information that's allowed in its political advertising, nor am I confident in its ability to protect its users' privacy. Follow me (and Molly, aka The Thing of Evil) on Twitter, if you like."
The author has since deleted his Facebook account. King, who has written over 50 books, is known for his horror and fantasy works, many of which have been adapted into films and television programs including “It”, "The Shining", and "Pet Sematary"
The 72-year-old King is also known for being politically active and outspoken, particularly about his views on US President Donald Trump.
The social networking company has been receiving criticism recently for its decision to allow politicians to run false ads. Facebook argued that it does not believe decisions about which political ads run should be left to private companies.
In a tweet, Star Wars’ Mark Hamill announced that he has deleted his Facebook account due to the firms’ political ads policy. He also accused Facebook chief executive officer (CEO) Mark Zuckerberg of prioritizing profit over truthfulness.
Hamill wrote on his tweet: “So disappointed that #MarkZuckerberg values profit more than truthfulness that I’ve decided to delete my @Facebook account. I know this is a big ‘Who Cares?’ for the world at large, but I’ll sleep better at night. #PatriotismOverProfits”
Using ads, Facebook enables advertisers to target small groups, including even specific groups of users. Some critics have raised the issue that such highly-targeted political ads could undermine political discourse.
On the other hand, other US technology companies have chosen to implement more restrictive policies on political ads. Facebook-owned Twitter, where both King and Hamill are still active on, will ban political ads altogether.
