Ben Thomson from Stratechery penned a thoughtful piece on the recent Facebook announcement and following discussion. His piece goes through the fundamental changes the internet has created in the world of news media, and some opposing concerns: that Facebook has too much power, and that Facebook doesn’t to exert its power when it comes to politically motivated misinformation. In abstract terms, that conflict is clear, but the reality is Facebook is not a neutral platform and it is choosing to exercise it’s power in many other ways. For it to take this stance is, as I mentioned a clear reflection of it’s values.

From Ben’s piece:

The fact of the matter is that the world is fundamentally changing, just as it did five hundred years ago. At the same time, that change will take time — the printing press was invented in Germany in 1440 and yet German unification did not happen until 1871 — and will be guided by choices we make along the way. The sooner we recognize that transformation is coming, the more readily we can reject authoritarian attempts to hold onto the world as it was, and create the world we want to see.

Read it all here.