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Celebrated horror author Stephen King stirred controversy on Twitter for his comments on diversity following this year’s Oscar nominations.
USA TODAY
Stephen King is signing off of Facebook for good.
The best-selling horror author announced on Twitter Friday that he is walking away from the social media platform months ahead of the 2020 presidential election, over concerns about fake news and privacy.
“I’m quitting Facebook,” King, 72, wrote to his 5.6 million Twitter followers. “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.”
His official Facebook account has since been deleted.
More: Cynthia Erivo talks diversity after Stephen King’s controversial Oscars take
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.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) February 1, 2020
Facebook announced in January that it would continue to allow online political advertisements, despite moves by tech companies including Google and Twitter to block or limit the spread of ads that could potentially contain misinformation.
“Ultimately, we don’t think decisions about political ads should be made by private companies, which is why we are arguing for regulation that would apply across the industry,” said Rob Leathern, Facebook’s director of product management.
More: Facebook will still allow political ads but give users options on what they see
King, a regular critic of President Donald Trump, is the latest celebrity to ditch Facebook over its influence on politics.
In 2018, Cher announced on Twitter that she was “getting rid of Facebook” for “conspiring with Russia to destroy our Democracy.”
Last month, “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill also said goodbye to the social media site.
“So disappointed that #MarkZuckerberg values profit more than truthfulness that I’ve decided to delete my @Facebook account,” Hamill tweeted on Jan. 12. “I know this is a big ‘Who Cares?’ for the world at large, but I’ll sleep better at night. #PatriotismOverProfits.”
Contributing: Brett Molina
Related: Cher ditches Facebook, Google for ‘conspiring with Russia to destroy our democracy’
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