Breaking Up Facebook Is Not the Answer

When does a company become too big or too successful to exist? Chris Hughes, a co-founder of Facebook, argues that Facebook should be dismantled because “big” poses a risk to society. In my view — and that of most people who write about technology’s impact on society — what matters is not size but rather the rights and interests of consumers, and our accountability to the governments and legislators who oversee commerce and communications.

If people were writing the rules for the internet from scratch today, they wouldn’t want so many important social, political and ethical questions left in the hands of private companies. But the challenges [Hughes] alludes to, including election interference and privacy safeguards, won’t evaporate by breaking up Facebook or any other big tech company. Fixing these problems requires significant resources — and strong new rules.

[Nick Clegg is Facebook's vice president for global affairs and communications.]