SAN FRANCISCO—San Francisco Board of Supervisor Aaron Peskin is attempting to have Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s name removed from the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. The removal is in response to the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal in which Facebook users’ personal information was obtained without consent by Cambridge Analytica for political advertising. Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, donated $75 million to the hospital.
While Zuckerberg and Chan donated to the hospital in 2015 in exchange for naming rights, Peskin proposed that the city revise its policy on naming rights in exchange for gifts. If the city removes Zuckerberg’s name from the hospital, some or all of the money donated by Zuckerberg and his wife will have to be returned if requested.
Supervisor Matt Haney is attempting to have Zuckerberg’s name removed from the hospital as a result of criticism from Facebook’s failure to regulate hate speech. On Sunday, June 28, Haney tweeted:
“Massive advertising boycott of Facebook for failing to regulate hate speech & disinformation. Huge staff walk outs & protests. Cozy relationship w Trump, $ to Republicans. Much of it seems directly tied to Mark Zuckerberg. Why is his name still on our SF public general hospital?”
