Stephen Colbert explains perfectly why everyone is dumping on Facebook now

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/The Late Show)

published 21 March 2018

"Does anybody here use Facebook? Still?" Stephen Colbert asked on Tuesday's Late Show, noting that the world's biggest social network is in hot water over the unauthorized harvesting of the private information of 50 million American users by Cambridge Analytica, President Trump's campaign contractor — and also "the scientific name for John Oliver."

"Now, people are blaming Facebook for this because they handed over all your data willingly," Colbert said. "It's less like they're a bank that got robbed at gunpoint and more like a bank that just gave bank robbers your money because that's their business model — but now you can't quit the bank because your whole family is at the bank, and also the bank is where you get to see if your high school friends got fat." Now seems to be a good time for Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to weigh in with some damage control, he added, but so far, crickets.

But Cambridge Analytica is in hot water, too, especially as Britain's Channel 4 released the second part of its undercover report on Tuesday, focusing on their central role in electing Trump. "Wow, so it was their meticulous data and analytics that informed Trump's strategy of 'wear hat, yell about wall,'" Colbert said skeptically — and then in disbelief: "Wait, they made up 'Crooked Hillary'? Coming up with demeaning nicknames was the one skill we knew Trump had!" He also had some fun with Cambridge Analytica's assertion that the candidates they serve are always the "puppet," presumably including Trump: "Since he's a puppet, no wonder he has to use two hands to pick up a glass of water." Watch below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.